By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

There's an old adage in business that says if you can't fix it, feature it.

That's where the University of Cincinnati basketball team finds itself as it prepares for this week's Conference USA Tournament at Louisville's Freedom Hall.

For the first time since the league's inception in 1995, UC did not earn a first-round bye, which means the defending champs have to win four games in four days to win the tournament and the NCAA Tournament berth that goes with it.

It's a difficult challenge, but the UC players and coaches view their predicament as a blessing rather than a curse.

No. 5 seed UC (17-10) opens C-USA Tournament play at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday against No. 12 seed Southern Miss (12-15).

"It's another opportunity to win games," said UC coach Bob Huggins. "We've got to win games to pad our resume."

That resume includes a No. 24 Ratings Percentage Index ranking, which should be enough to get UC into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team should it fail to win the conference tournament.

But the resume would look a lot more attractive to the selection committee with 18 or 19 wins, especially since the Bearcats finished as the fifth-best team in a league that figures to get four teams into the tournament.

UC, which plays in C-USA's American Division, did not play Southern Miss, which competes in the National Division, during the regular season. The Bearcats have won nine straight over the Golden Eagles dating to 1990-91.

If it wins its first game Wednesday, UC will play Thursday at 9:30 against Saint Louis (15-12). The Billikens have won seven in a row, including a 58-55 victory at Shoemaker Center on Feb. 18.

UC beat Saint Louis 66-56 in Saint Louis on Jan. 15.

A victory in that quarterfinal game would likely match the Bearcats against No. 1 seed Marquette in the semifinals. UC lost twice to Marquette during the regular season, including Saturday's 70-61 defeat in Milwaukee.

Freshman Armein Kirkland, who has produced two straight double-figure scoring games off the bench, said playing that first-round game should actually benefit the Bearcats.

"I think it's better for us," Kirkland said. "We get to go down and try to get things together. We're going to try to get some momentum together to play the better teams in the tournament."

UC could use some momentum. The Bearcats have lost seven of their last 11 games and need three more wins to avoid becoming the first Bearcat team since 1991 to win fewer than 20 games.

As the post-season arrives, Huggins continues to lament his team's inability to make open shots, as he has all season, and continues to predict big things for his team if those shots ever begin to fall.

He also takes solace from the fact that that three teams without a first-round bye have won the conference tournament during its 7-year existence.

"If we ever could make a wide-open shot, we may have a chance to win the tournament," Huggins said. "We've done that before, not very often, but we've done that before."

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com

UC in C-USA Tournament

Where: Louisville

First game: vs. Southern Mississippi (12-15, 5-11 C-USA)

When: 9:30 p.m., Wednesday

TV: Channel 19.

Tickets: $130 for all sessions; 556-CATS