March Madness is upon us! The most exhilarating time of the year for college basketball fans across the nation was taken from us last year only a few days in when the novel coronavirus infiltrated the sports world and started a global pandemic.
Masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing, new safety protocols and most recently, vaccinations, have made it possible for March Madness to take place this season. The Conference USA tournament is set to begin on Tuesday March 9th from The Star in Frisco, Texas. Brackets and seeding will be released after the conclusion of the regular season on March 6th.
CUSA Men's basketball has been really competitive this season, with all but 4 teams at .500 or better winning percentage. That should make for a very exciting post-season tournament. The defending champion (2019) ODU Monarchs are 14-6 as of March 4th and will likely be a 4th or 5th seed. Senior guard Malik Curry has been their leader averaging close to 15 points, 4 assists and 2 steals a game. The Monarchs rebound the basketball well on both ends of the floor and that'll keep them in every game.
The Thundering Herd, the 2018 champs are always exciting to watch. They can score the basketball, averaging 81 points a game and they spread the wealth, leading CUSA in assists per game. Don't count them out. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are always a threat. Coach Rick Stansbury has them competing every year. This season is no different at 17-5 as of this article. The Hilltoppers beat Alabama back in December and lost a couple close games to Memphis and West Virginia, two really good tournament teams. WKU is a tough out for anyone.
UAB Blazers lead CUSA in scoring defense allowing a meager 60.48 points a game leading to a 19-6 record. Likely a #1 seed in the upcoming tournament. North Texas had high hopes last year as regular season champs but never got a chance to appear in their first NCAA tournament since 2010. UNT shoots the basketball at a high clip from the field (.492) and beyond the arc to go with great defense, allowing just over 62 points a game. UNT almost knocked off WVU earlier in the year, the Mountaineers needed a 2nd half rally to avoid the upset. Watch out for the Mean Green, they're hungry and have a chip on their shoulder.
La Tech has a 20 win season after they defeated Our Lady of the Lake by 30 March 3rd. The Bulldogs are 20-6 and just don't beat themselves. La Tech rebounds the basketball on both ends and play great defense, particularly defending the three. They have a lot of guys who contribute. Florida Atlantic hasn't played as many games this season but is the best rebounding team in the conference. They attack the glass on both ends of the floor and out rebound their opponents by nearly double digits.
The UTEP Miners are 12-11 after a 67-62 loss to #13 Kansas on March 4th. The Miners had the Jayhawks on the ropes and Kansas had to rally from 15 points down to knock off UTEP. The Miners gave Arizona and St. Mary's all they could handle during non-conference play in December. The 2021 tournament promises to deliver exciting matchups and an opportunity to showcase some special athletes and promising prospects.
Some players to watch are Hilltopper junior big man Charles Bassey who leads the conference in rebounding and FG percentage and is top 5 in scoring. UTSA RoadRunners have some scorers that can get hot in Jhivvan Jackson, averaging almost 21 points a game and Keaton Wallace who is gifted on the offensive end. Marshall has Taevion Kinsey who's second to Jackson in scoring at 19.84 ppg and guard Jarrod West who leads CUSA in assists and steals.
The Mean Green have the defending CUSA Player of the Year Javion Hamlet and the Rice Owls have sniper Quincy Olivari who's got the most made 3 point field goals and highest percentage while averaging about 16 points a game.
Don't miss any of the action, Texas Sports Blog will have ongoing coverage and updates via FB and Twitter.
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