Men's National Collegiate Water Polo Championship

Dates and site: Stanford will host the championship December 6-7 at the Avery Aquatic Center.

Field: Four teams.

Selection date: November 30.

2002 champion: Stanford.

Top contenders: Among the top teams listed in a November 12 Men's Collegiate Coaches Water Polo poll were Southern California, Stanford, California, UCLA and Pepperdine.

Championship notes: Since 1969, UCLA and Stanford have made 25 appearances each in the tournament. The Cardinal have a slight edge with 10 national titles to the Bruins' seven ... Top-ranked Southern California began the season with 10 straight wins before suffering its first loss ... UCLA rode a six-game winning streak into a November 22 match against Southern California. The streak includes a 7-6 overtime victory against Pepperdine to improve the Bruins' conference record to 7-1.