Cincinnati will go into Saturday's game against Rutgers with a shot to earn the American Athletic Conference men's basketball regular season championship.
With a victory over the Scarlet Knights, the Bearcats clinch at least a share of the crown.
From there it gets more complicated to see if Cincinnati (25-5, 14-3) will hold sole possession of the title.
Louisville (25-5, 14-3) is the other contender, currently tied with the Bearcats atop the conference standings.
If one team wins and the other loses, the winner is automatically the outright champion.
But if both end up with the same result, it gets tricky. Here's how the University of Cincinnati lays out the scenarios:
If both teams win, then the SMU-Memphis game comes into play. If Louisville, Cincinnati and SMU win, then Louisville gets the top seed (would be 4-0 against SMU/UConn, while Cincinnati would be 2-2).
If Louisville, Cincinnati and Memphis win, then a coin flip will determine the 1/2 seeds. Both UC and UofL would be 4-2 against the group of SMU/UConn/Memphis, which would be tied at 12-6.
If both teams lose, then Louisville is No. 1 if SMU beats Memphis (UofL 3-1 vs SMU/UConn; Cincinnati is 2-2) and Cincinnati is No. 1 if Memphis beats SMU (Cincinnati 3-1 vs SMU/Memphis; Lou 2-2).
The Cardinals take on UConn Saturday at 2 p.m. Cincinnati's game tips at noon.
Should both tie for the title they would each be considered regular-season champions, despite their seed in the conference tournament.
