Season in Review
Conference USA has been dominated in recent seasons by Kermit Davis' Middle Tennessee teams, but with Davis moving on to Mississippi, the top of the conference was wide open. C-USA also moved to a new scheduling format, with teams being moved into different groups of five, with one of four, at the end of the season, based on record, playing each team in the group once. This was designed to improve the seeding and tournament chances of teams like the Blue Raiders last year. It provided better games at the end of the schedule and made the league more entertaining. It's still wide open, with Old Dominion and Western Kentucky being the favorites, but a number of teams have a shot at winning it all.
Bracket
Contenders
Old Dominion (23-8, 13-5)
The Monarchs pulled off two big wins over VCU and Syracuse during non-conference play, and after a slow 2-1 start to the C-USA schedule, they went 12-3 down the stretch. They only won 2 of their "pod" games, but they established themselves as a title contender throughout the season. They are one of the best defensive teams in the nation, holding opponents to a 38.8% shooting percentage from the field. They have a lot of tough perimeter players like BJ Stith and Ahmad Caver who do a great job of defending the wing, while also providing stellar play on the other end of the court. While they don't do anything that really jumps off the page, they are a solid team that will make you work for a victory, and they won't beat themselves, and sometimes, that is good enough, as the showed throughout the season.
Western Kentucky (18-13, 11-7)
The Hilltoppers are probably the most talented team in the conference, but consistent is not a word you would associate with them. When they are on, they can beat just about anyone, with wins over Arkansas, Saint Mary's, and Wisconsin this year. When they aren't, they can lose to just about anyone, dropping contests to Indiana State, Missouri State, and Troy. They also went 2-2 in the pod, every team in the top pod did so, and attempting to predict what they will do is a fools errand given their erratic play. Still, with all the talent they have, if they can get their act together, they could undoubtably win 3 straight games on their way to a tournament title.
Sleeper Team
Marshall (18-13, 11-7)
Notably absent from the top grouping was last year's tournament representative, Marshall. The Thundering Herd knocked off Wichita State in last year's tournament, and with star guards Jon Elmore and CJ Burks returning, they looked poised to compete at the top of the conference. Instead, they were sitting at .500 when the pods were decided, and they were in the second group of five. They responded by sweeping through it, and they have won 5 straight games heading into the tournament. They play at a very fast pace, and while their shots haven't been falling with as much regularity this year, they can still get hot and go on a run.
Players to Watch
Charles Bassey
Stats: 15 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 2.4 BPG, 62.9/50/77.2
Bassey is a five star freshman who decided to play his basketball in Bowling Green for Western Kentucky. He is a throwback big, doing work in the low post, where his strength, skill, and touch make him a threat. He has posted dominating performances throughout conference play, and leads the conference in field goal percentage while ranking second in rebounds and blocks. He isn't a finished product yet, and doesn't have a consistent jumper, but when you can post 22 and 18 against a good team in your conference like UTSA, then you're one of the elite players in said conference, and I would recommend checking him out, as he possibly has an NBA future.
Jhivvan Jackson
Stats: 22.4 PPG, 4 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 38.7/35.2/83.7
The UTSA point guard is the leading scorer in the conference with 22.4 points a game, and it seems like he can score when he wants. With quick twitch speed and excellent finishing ability around the basket, he is a threat to score whenever he has the ball. He takes a lot of shots, but he scores a lot so it doesn't particularly matter, and if he can make jump shots, watch out. He made 8 threes in a loss to Western Kentucky, and scored 46 of the teams 88 points. A performance like that would probably result in a win this time around, and would be big for the Roadrunners.
Jon Elmore
Stats: 19.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 38.9/34.7/78.5
Like the rest of Marshall, Elmore regressed this season as the word got out on the dynamic point guard. A year after leading the conference in points and assists, he finished fourth in both and struggled with heightened expectations and increased pressure, both from fans and defenses. Still, he's a threat as a scorer, especially from behind the arc, and a playmaker, and he scored 44 this season against UTEP, so he can clearly still go off and have a big game for the Herd, and that would be huge for their shot at a title.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Jhivvan Jackson, UTSA
G: Jon Elmore, Marshall
G: Jon Davis, Charlotte
F: Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky
F: BJ Stith, Old Dominion
Second Team
G: Brian Beard Jr, FIU
G: Ahmad Caver, Old Dominion
G: Keaton Wallace, UTSA
F: Xavian Stapleton, FAU
F: Efe Odigie, UTEP
My Pick: Western Kentucky over Old Dominion
I'm choosing mercurial talent over solid production with this pick. It's a little bold, but I think it could happen, especially if the Hilltoppers can make shots from behind the arc. They have the highest ceiling in Conference USA, and I think they hit that in the tournament.
Conference USA has been dominated in recent seasons by Kermit Davis' Middle Tennessee teams, but with Davis moving on to Mississippi, the top of the conference was wide open. C-USA also moved to a new scheduling format, with teams being moved into different groups of five, with one of four, at the end of the season, based on record, playing each team in the group once. This was designed to improve the seeding and tournament chances of teams like the Blue Raiders last year. It provided better games at the end of the schedule and made the league more entertaining. It's still wide open, with Old Dominion and Western Kentucky being the favorites, but a number of teams have a shot at winning it all.
Bracket
Contenders
Old Dominion (23-8, 13-5)
The Monarchs pulled off two big wins over VCU and Syracuse during non-conference play, and after a slow 2-1 start to the C-USA schedule, they went 12-3 down the stretch. They only won 2 of their "pod" games, but they established themselves as a title contender throughout the season. They are one of the best defensive teams in the nation, holding opponents to a 38.8% shooting percentage from the field. They have a lot of tough perimeter players like BJ Stith and Ahmad Caver who do a great job of defending the wing, while also providing stellar play on the other end of the court. While they don't do anything that really jumps off the page, they are a solid team that will make you work for a victory, and they won't beat themselves, and sometimes, that is good enough, as the showed throughout the season.
Western Kentucky (18-13, 11-7)
The Hilltoppers are probably the most talented team in the conference, but consistent is not a word you would associate with them. When they are on, they can beat just about anyone, with wins over Arkansas, Saint Mary's, and Wisconsin this year. When they aren't, they can lose to just about anyone, dropping contests to Indiana State, Missouri State, and Troy. They also went 2-2 in the pod, every team in the top pod did so, and attempting to predict what they will do is a fools errand given their erratic play. Still, with all the talent they have, if they can get their act together, they could undoubtably win 3 straight games on their way to a tournament title.
Sleeper Team
Marshall (18-13, 11-7)
Notably absent from the top grouping was last year's tournament representative, Marshall. The Thundering Herd knocked off Wichita State in last year's tournament, and with star guards Jon Elmore and CJ Burks returning, they looked poised to compete at the top of the conference. Instead, they were sitting at .500 when the pods were decided, and they were in the second group of five. They responded by sweeping through it, and they have won 5 straight games heading into the tournament. They play at a very fast pace, and while their shots haven't been falling with as much regularity this year, they can still get hot and go on a run.
Players to Watch
Charles Bassey
Stats: 15 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 2.4 BPG, 62.9/50/77.2
Bassey is a five star freshman who decided to play his basketball in Bowling Green for Western Kentucky. He is a throwback big, doing work in the low post, where his strength, skill, and touch make him a threat. He has posted dominating performances throughout conference play, and leads the conference in field goal percentage while ranking second in rebounds and blocks. He isn't a finished product yet, and doesn't have a consistent jumper, but when you can post 22 and 18 against a good team in your conference like UTSA, then you're one of the elite players in said conference, and I would recommend checking him out, as he possibly has an NBA future.
Jhivvan Jackson
Stats: 22.4 PPG, 4 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 38.7/35.2/83.7
The UTSA point guard is the leading scorer in the conference with 22.4 points a game, and it seems like he can score when he wants. With quick twitch speed and excellent finishing ability around the basket, he is a threat to score whenever he has the ball. He takes a lot of shots, but he scores a lot so it doesn't particularly matter, and if he can make jump shots, watch out. He made 8 threes in a loss to Western Kentucky, and scored 46 of the teams 88 points. A performance like that would probably result in a win this time around, and would be big for the Roadrunners.
Stats: 19.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 38.9/34.7/78.5
Like the rest of Marshall, Elmore regressed this season as the word got out on the dynamic point guard. A year after leading the conference in points and assists, he finished fourth in both and struggled with heightened expectations and increased pressure, both from fans and defenses. Still, he's a threat as a scorer, especially from behind the arc, and a playmaker, and he scored 44 this season against UTEP, so he can clearly still go off and have a big game for the Herd, and that would be huge for their shot at a title.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Jhivvan Jackson, UTSA
G: Jon Elmore, Marshall
G: Jon Davis, Charlotte
F: Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky
F: BJ Stith, Old Dominion
Second Team
G: Brian Beard Jr, FIU
G: Ahmad Caver, Old Dominion
G: Keaton Wallace, UTSA
F: Xavian Stapleton, FAU
F: Efe Odigie, UTEP
My Pick: Western Kentucky over Old Dominion
I'm choosing mercurial talent over solid production with this pick. It's a little bold, but I think it could happen, especially if the Hilltoppers can make shots from behind the arc. They have the highest ceiling in Conference USA, and I think they hit that in the tournament.
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