When the NCAA Tournament field is finalized Sunday, the University of Cincinnati hopes it compares favorably to the University of Oklahoma.

        If so, UC should have the fourth No.1 seed.

        Pencil in Kansas, Maryland and Duke as top seeds. They are the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 teams this week in the Associated Press media poll, the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Even a loss — Duke or Maryland have to lose, because they're playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament — probably will not change that.

        The Sooners (24-4) moved up to No.4 in both polls after victories last week over Iowa State and Colorado. UC (27-3) dropped one spot to No.5 because of its loss Wednesday night at Louisville.

        The Bearcats are the No.1 seed in the Conference USA Tournament that begins Wednesday at Firstar Center. Cincinnati will play at 7 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals against the winner of the South Florida-UAB game.

        Oklahoma is the No.2 seed in the Big 12 tourney behind Kansas. Oklahoma plays Friday in the quarterfinals against the Baylor-Kansas State winner.

        “If we win the tournament, I don't think there's any question we would be a 1,” UC coach Bob Huggins said Monday. “I would think it would probably be between us and Oklahoma, and I guess it just kind of depends on how they play and how we play this week.”

        UC needs to win its first game to make sure there is no chance of dropping to a No. 3 seed; a bad loss now would not look good to the selection committee. Barring upsets, Cincinnati would be looking at Charlotte in the semifinals, then Memphis or 13th-ranked Marquette in the final.

        If UC wins its tournament, a loss by Oklahoma in the Big 12 final wouldn't necessarily cost the Sooners the final No.1 NCAA seed — if the loss comes against top-ranked Kansas.

        If UC and Oklahoma falter, long shots for the No.1 seed would include Alabama, Pittsburgh and Oregon. Maybe. Only the Crimson Tide have a top-10 RPI (No.6) among those three.

        The Bearcats have gone to 10 straight NCAA Tournaments in the Huggins era, but never have been a No. 1 seed. They were No.2 in 1993, '96, '98 and 2000.

        “I'm not so sure there are any really easy second games,” Huggins said of the NCAA Tournament. “But it certainly makes your first game easier.

        “Theoretically, that's the way it's supposed to shake down, that the better teams throughout the course of the year are the teams that have an easier path to the Final Four.”

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