Well, have a good look at Conference USA. It’s one of the last
times you’ll see it as is. Just two short seasons from now, Saint
Louis University, along with the rest of the more notable C-USA
basketball programs will be gone. You will be reading the Atlantic
10 preview and C-USA will be all but a shor- lived memory for the
Billikens. On that note, the final two years of modern C-USA have a
lot in store. The league’s favorites are, as usual, the perennial
superpowers. Others are lying in wait for their chance to dethrone
them–something that is never out of question in this
conference.
American
Marquette University Golden Eagles
Last season’s Final Four appearance was certainly impressive.
They gave tournament favorite Kentucky a beating that the Wildcat
faithful will not soon forget. The ability of Tom Crean to get top
quality out of his players is no fluke either. Even Crean’s
recruits should make an impact, but cannot immediately surmount the
monumental loss of Dwyane Wade. Expect Marquette to be near the top
of C-USA and make it into the NCAA tournament without breaking much
of a sweat. But a repeat of last year? Doubtful.
University of Louisville Cardinals
Rick Pitino has started to work his magic in rebuilding the
Louisville program. Now, his recruits will start to make their move
as impact players. The star talent is a bit down from last season;
however, there is really no reason to expect the Cardinals to see
much of a drop off. They will likely finish behind Marquette and
Cincinnati, but should still be around come tournament time.
University of Cincinnati Bearcats
The Bearcats place this season’s hopes on incoming junior
college transfer Robert Whaley. This may seem like an unwise
strategy to put so much pressure on a newcomer; but he may just be
that good. Last year Jason Maxiell failed to live up to his high
expectations as a sophomore but still has the ability to make a
significant contribution. If these two, along with seniors Field
Williams and Tony Bobbitt can live up to their billing, look for
Cincy to be at the top of C-USA all season long.
Saint Louis University Billikens
If only the Bills had started as strong as they finished, they
almost certainly would have been playing in the Big Dance last
season. Winning each of their last seven regular season contests,
SLU showed significant growth under first-year coach Brad
Soderberg. Still, some building needs to be done. The loss of
Marque Perry cannot be measured. The Bills have done their best to
fill his void with Reggie Bryant, a transfer from Villanova. The
Bills may fare even better in postseason play if they can carry
over some of that momentum from last year’s C-USA run.
DePaul University Blue Demons
DePaul lost leading point-scorer Sam Hoskin; still, their
strength lies in the returning talent. With four of last season’s
starters back to play–all of which are juniors or seniors–the
Blue Demons may not be all too depleted. While an NIT bid can be
expected, they lack the talent to make a serious run to the top of
the conference.
East Carolina University Pirates
C-USA did not treat the Pirates well last year. Along with TCU,
their conference record was the worst at 3-13. With four returning
starters they probably won’t get much worse. Don’t count on them
getting much better either.
University of North Carolina Charlotte 49ers
Last season’s 13-16 performance was widely regarded as a failure
and hoped to be a fluke among the 49er faithful. After all, it was
only Charlotte’s second losing record in 18 years. Don’t expect
such a repeat. Senior guard Demon Brown returns after averaging
over 16 points per game as a junior. Back with him are eight other
returning players, which speaks very well to their depth. Having
suffered no significant losses in personnel along with the addition
of 7-footer Martin Iti–who may be the best freshman in C-USA–it
is unlikely Charlotte will do anything but improve. If all goes
right, the 49ers could be back in the NCAA’s come March.
National
University of Memphis Tigers
Imagine how good this team could have been if coach John
Calipari hung on to his recruits a bit longer. If you’re a Memphis
fan, that’s something you’d probably rather forget. That aside, the
Tigers may see the top 25 at one point or another during the
season. As well, they should hope for better results than last
year’s first-round NCAA tournament loss. Senior guard Antonio Burks
will run the show for the third-straight year along with some solid
returning playmakers in Rodney Carney, Anthony Rice and Jeremy
Hunt. The Tigers will give the Bearcats a run for their money in a
fight for the C-USA crown. If they don’t, they may be calling for
Calipari’s head in Memphis.
University of Alabama Birmingham Blazers
In last season’s C-USA tournament, the Blazers came out of
absolutely nowhere to beat SLU and shock Final Four-bound Marquette
before losing to Louisville in the final. They return with very
potent offensive threats in senior Morris Finley–who averaged 18
points a game last year–and Demario Ellis. The NCAA tourney is not
out of the question; but a solid run in the NIT seems more in the
cards. However, don’t be surprised to hear that UAB knocked off a
big name or two along the way.
Tulane University Green Wave
Tulane managed to finish over .500 last season. However, this
was done with a lineup primarily composed of seniors. The Green
Wave come back with a lot of youth, which probably will not
translate into a lot of wins. No returning player averaged more
than seven points per game last year.
University of Houston Cougars
Recalling the days of Phi Slamma Jamma can be fun. Saying the
words ‘Phi Slamma Jamma’ can also be fun. Unfortunately for
Houston, no team has, or in the foreseeable future, will, live up
to the standard set by that Houston team almost 20 years ago. It’s
a shame this once powerful program has fallen so far by the
wayside. Still, players like junior guard Andre Owens, who averaged
13.9 points per game last season, show some signs of life.
University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Southern Miss returns four starters, three of whom averaged over
10 points per game last season. This bodes fairly well for the
Eagles but is not likely to be enough to get them into the
postseason.
Texas Christian University Horned Frogs
The Frogs can score, but the same can be said of their opponent
on any given day. TCU comes off a season where they gave up over 80
points per game. Is this a problem with the players or a problem
with the system? Probably both. Will they turn it around this year?
Probably not.
University of South Florida Bulls
The Bulls return three of their five starters for this year’s
go-around, but consistency looks to be a problem for Robert
McCullum’s team. He will rely on Jimmy Baxter for points, since he
averaged 14 a night last year. McCullum is going to look to
Terrence Leather to score, but McCullum even admits that Leather
doesn’t consistently manage his average of seven points per
game.
