River Forest, Ill. — The Concordia University Chicago men's basketball team will take the floor at Rockford University on Wednesday night with a chance to do something they haven't done in 10 years; win a conference title. 

The Cougars currently sit atop the conference standings in a four-way tie with St. Norbert College, Concordia University Wisconsin, and Benedictine University. A win by any of those teams tonight guarantees them a share of the conference championship. 

Earning a spot in the top three is the ultimate goal for each team as it ensures a first-round bye this Saturday. If the Cougars were to earn the bye, their first tournament game would be at home on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. 

A CUC win over Rockford coupled with a Benedictine loss at Illinois Tech will give the Cougars home court advantage throughout the entire tournament. The path to a tournament title would go through River Forest, beginning with the Feb. 22, game against either the No. 8 or No. 9 seed.

If all four teams win, the Cougars will finish third in the conference thanks to their head-to-head win in their only meeting with St. Norbert, meaning they control their own destiny in terms of the bye. In this case, they'd host the winner of the matchup between the No. 6 and No. 11 seed on Feb. 22. 

Their opponent on Wednesday is one of the hottest teams in the league. The Regents have won their last four games, the longest active streak in the conference, and are one of three teams just a half game back in the standings at 9-6. 

The log jam in the middle of the standings has caused a lot of uncertainty for how things will shake out following Wednesday's slate of games. Eight teams have something to play for, while a ninth, Wisconsin Lutheran College, will be awaiting their fate as their regular season ended with Monday's loss to the Cougars. To offer perspective on how tight the race is, the Warriors were in first place before Monday's loss but now have seven teams ahead of them. 

With a loss Wednesday, the Cougars could find themselves anywhere between fifth and ninth in the standings. If they were anywhere between fifth and eighth, they would still host a round one game on Saturday at 3 p.m.. If they somehow finished ninth, however, they would be forced to go on the road to open up tournament play. 

The most likely placement for the Cougars if they were to lose would be either the No. 7 or No. 8 seed. 

Everything will be determined at the conclusion of Wednesday night's action. You can keep up with all the latest updates and seeding at cucougars.com and on Twitter @cuc_menhoops.