By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

University of Cincinnati senior forward Carolyn Alexander began gnawing her left thumbnail at 5:30 p.m.

K.B. Sharp, Debbie Merrill and Valerie King clasped hands at 5:40, shoving aside half-eaten plates of cake and pizza in the Shoemaker Center's UCATS room.

UC women's basketball players including Valerie King (clapping) and Carolyn Alexander (arms raised) celebrate their selection to the NCAA field. The team watched the selection show in the UCATS Club at Shoemaker Center. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

Finally, 45 minutes after ESPN's Selection Sunday broadcast began mapping out NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament brackets, the UC women's basketball team erupted in cheers. The Bearcats earned an at-large bid and No. 10 seed in the West Region, and will play No. 7 Arkansas in the first round at the Shoemaker Center Sunday. Game times are still to be announced.

"My stomach was all in knots," Merrill said.

This summer Cincinnati was awarded one of 16 pre-determined bids to host the NCAA Tournament's first and second rounds. Arkansas, No. 2 Texas and No. 15 Hampton will travel to the Queen City this week for Sunday's first-round games. The winners play a second round game March 25.

The Bearcats (23-7, 11-3 C-USA) are embarking on a fourth NCAA journey and second straight berth. Last season they won the first NCAA Tournament game in school history, defeating St. Peter's in overtime 76-63 before losing 75-56 at South Carolina.

This year UC may have landed in the tournament's toughest bracket. The West region includes Southeastern Conference powerhouses Louisiana State University and Arkansas, Big 12 Conference winner Texas, Pac-10 winner Stanford, and the Big 10's Ohio State and Minnesota.

"At this point, seeds don't matter," UC coach Laurie Pirtle said. "You better bring your best game with you."

The Bearcats have never played Arkansas - or Texas or Hampton - although Pirtle knows the Razorbacks' by reputation. Arkansas (21-10, 7-7 SEC) is No. 24 in the Associated Press poll and No. 20 in the USA Today/ESPN poll.

The unranked Bearcats placed second in both the C-USA regular season standings and at the conference tournament.

Most players thought UC's strength of schedule and record were enough to earn a spot. But because UC had no conference championship guarantee, tensions mounted during the hour-long broadcast. It didn't help that UC was the third-to-last team announced.

"I thought we'd be a seven (seed) or 10 (seed) in the East, then we weren't," King said. "When we got down to the last teams, I was getting really nervous."

The Bearcats held an intrasquad scrimmage from 1-3 p.m. to shake off jitters, then convened before a wide-screened television with about 75 friends and family.

Sharp hopes UC's court advantage comes into play.

"We're done with the regular season and the conference tournament, so this is it," she added. "This is our last chance to do something."

E-mail srussell@enquirer.com