Ever try to figure out scenarios for athletics?

It ain't easy.

That's why coaches of teams in contention for championships say things like this:

"We have to take every minute [of every half] as it comes," Harvard Women's Basketball Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said.

Well, while the team is mired in the race for the Ivy crown, I figured I'd look a few minutes ahead.

On Tuesday night, I settled down at my desk with a pen, piece of paper and the remaining schedules for Harvard, Brown and Dartmouth.

"All right," I thought. "Let's see...Brown's in first place at 11-1, Harvard's in second at 9-2, Dartmouth's in third, 8-3."

I began to jot the information down.

"Okay, Brown will play Dartmouth on Friday," I silently mouthed. "And if they lose and Harvard wins then...No wait, that can't be right."

No sooner after I started was I hopelessly confused. The scenarios made no sense. I suck at math.

So I paid a visit to a bespectacled math concentrator who lives upstairs. He was playing chess with his computer, but was still happy to stop and help me.

He clicked open his Microsoft Excel and began punching in teams schedules and equations of possible scenarios.

"Now if E8 is greater than C8 and we sort data by 18 ascending...," he murmured to himself.

I just stood there with my mouth slack-jawed, watching in mute stupidity.

Finally, after much weeping and gnashing of teeth, he reported the findings of 32 possible outcomes. Here are the most salient: