2013 College Basketball Picks: CUSA Conference Tournamant Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Conference USA Tournament Schedule and Tournament Bracket: At one time, Conference USA was one of the best mid-major conferences in the country. However, conference realignment has sent former powerhouses like Cincinnati, Marquette and Charlotte to other leagues, leaving behind a mix of teams that simply hasn’t produced the top-to-bottom depth of the original lineup. As a result, C-USA has basically been a one or two-bid league recently, and that is likely the case again this season. Of course, the overall decline in the conference does make the C-USA Tournament a lot more important for all the teams involved. With that in mind, here is a look at the top contenders for the Conference USA Tournament.
2013 Conference USA Tournament Odds, Free Picks and Predictions
The Contenders
While you can question their ability to contend with top teams from other conferences, the Memphis Tigers (27-4, 16-0 C-USA) were no doubt the class of Conference USA all season. In addition to going undefeated in conference play and winning the regular season title by four games, the Tigers also ranked second in C-USA in scoring at 74.9 points per game. Memphis doesn’t have a star player like in recent years, but the Tigers do have three players averaging double figures. They also have a fast, athletic defense that is averaging more than nine steals and six blocks per game. Memphis’ edge in speed and athleticism was evident through the team’s flawless run through the conference schedule in the regular season.
Armed with a balanced offense and aggressive defense, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (23-8, 12-4 C-USA) have the pieces in place to make a run in the Conference USA Tournament. Dwayne Davis leads the Golden Eagles in scoring at 15.9 points per game, but six players are averaging at least eight points per game on the year. Their offense also ranks in the top 15 in the country in field goal percentage, and it is helped by a defense that averages more than 10 steals per game. On the flip side, the Golden Eagles will likely have to find a way to get by a Memphis team that stomped them twice during the regular season.
Their offense can be ugly at times, but the UTEP Miners (17-13, 10-6 C-USA) have the stingiest defense in C-USA and have the uncanny ability to force opponents to play their slow-paced style. Although the Miners lost their regular season meetings with top-seeded Memphis and No. 2 seed Southern Miss, they held both teams well under the season averages, falling to the Tigers 56-54 and the Golden Eagles 45-39. Granted, UTEP is going to have to have someone get unusually hot from the field on offense, but the Miners’ defense is the real deal.
Bottom Line
There is a decent chance that Memphis will make the NCAA Tournament regardless of what the Tigers do in the conference tournament, but they won’t have to sweat things out. They were the class of the conference all year, and the Tigers’ overall level of athleticism is just too much for the rest of the conference to match. More importantly, Memphis is more than willing to use their athleticism on both ends of the court. The Tigers will back up their dominating regular season showing by claiming the conference tournament.
Prediction: Memphis Tigers Win the C-USA Tournament
Odds to Win Conference USA Tournament
Memphis 4/5
Southern Miss 19/10
UTEP 6/1
Tulsa 18/1
East Carolina 20/1
Houston 33/1
Tulane 33/1
UAB 33/1
Marshall 66/1
Southern Methodist 66/1
Rice 750/1
2013 CUSA Conference Tournament Schedule
First round – Wednesday, March 13
4:30 p.m. No. 7 UAB vs. No. 10 SMU (Game 1)
7 p.m. No. 6 Houston vs. No. 11 Rice (Game 2)
9:30 p.m. No. 8 Marshall vs. No. 9 Tulane (Game 3)
Quarterfinals – Thursday, March 14
1 p.m. No. 2 Southern Miss vs. Game 1 winner (Game 4)
3:30 p.m. No. 3 UTEP vs. Game 2 winner (Game 5)
7 p.m. No. 1 Memphis vs. Game 3 winner (Game 6)
9:30 p.m. No. 4 East Carolina vs. No. 5 Tulsa (Game 7)
Semifinals – Friday, March 15
4 p.m. Semifinal No. 1
6:30 p.m. Semifinal No. 2
Championship – Saturday, March 16
11:30 a.m. Championship Game
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