Overall, Conference USA basketball was a decent mid-major league this season. North Texas found themselves on top of their division and the overall conference. Middle Tennessee took the top of the East side of the conference. Southern Mississippi found themselves at the bottom of the conference with a 1-17 record. Last year’s Conference USA Tournament winner was North Texas. The Mean Green come into this year’s tournament with a 1-seed, can they make a run back to the college basketball Big Dance? The following contains the Conference USA Tournament bracket and schedule, as well as a preview of what we can expect to see.
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Conference USA Basketball Standings
East Division
| School | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Seed |
| Middle Tennessee | 13-5 | 22-9 | 1 Seed |
| Western Kentucky | 11-7 | 19-12 | 2 Seed |
| Florida Atlantic | 11-7 | 18-13 | 3 Seed |
| Charlotte | 10-8 | 17-13 | 4 Seed |
| Old Dominion | 8-10 | 13-18 | 5 Seed |
| FIU | 5-13 | 15-16 | 6 Seed |
| Marshall | 4-14 | 11-20 | 7 Seed |
West Division
| School | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Tournament Outlook |
| North Texas | 16-2 | 23-5 | 1 Seed |
| UAB | 14-4 | 24-7 | 2 Seed |
| Louisiana Tech | 12-6 | 21-9 | 3 Seed |
| UTEP | 11-7 | 18-12 | 4 Seed |
| Rice | 7-11 | 15-15 | 5 Seed |
| UTSA | 3-15 | 10-21 | 6 Seed |
| Southern Mississippi | 1-17 | 6-25 | 7 Seed |
CUSA Tournament Schedule
Dates: March 8-12
TV Schedule: ESPN+ (First Round and Second Round), Stadium (Quarterfinals), CBSSN (Semifinals and Championship)
Venue: Ford Center at the Star — Frisco, TX
Byes: Top 5 seeds receive single bye; Top 2 seeds receive double-bye
Defending Champion: North Texas
Conference USA Tournament Bracket
First Round
- (W7) Southern Mississippi 67, (W6) UTSA 64
- (E7) Marshall 74, (E6) FIU 62
Second Round
- (W3) LA Tech 77, (E7) Marshall 67
- (E3) FAU 86, (W7) Southern Mississippi 59
- (W4) UTEP 74, (E5) Old Dominion 64
- (W5) Rice 73, (E4) Charlotte 61
Quarterfinals
- (W1) North Texas 68, (W5) Rice 50
- (E1) Middle Tennessee 66, (W4) UTEP 59 (OT)
- (W2) UAB 80, (E3) FAU 66
- (W3) Louisiana Tech 59, (E2) Western Kentucky 57
Semifinals
- (W3) Louisiana Tech 42, (W1) North Texas 36
- (W2) UAB 102, (E1) Middle Tennessee 98 (3OT)
Championship
- (W2) UAB 82, (W3) Louisiana Tech 73
UAB advances to NCAA Tournament
CUSA Basketball Breakdown
North Texas was a three seed last year when they won the Conference USA Tournament. The Mean Green are looking to defend their title with a likely competitor being Middle Tennessee. With the tournament being played in Frisco, TX this year, you have to imagine that North Texas would be right at home. Rice, UTEP and UTSA also fit that pedigree.
North Texas is the obvious favorite to win the conference tournament. The Mean Green feature four players who average 10 or more points per game. Although this is the case, North Texas excels on the defensive side of the ball. They lead the country in least amount of points given up per game, 55.6. The Mean Green will undoubtedly rely on their defense, as they only score 65.8 points a game. (309th in the country)
The preseason poll for Conference USA basketball was very different than what the standings turned out to be. The biggest overachiever in the conference in relation to the preseason poll was Middle Tennessee, which was projected to finish seventh but finished first. The biggest underachiever in relation to the preseason poll was Marshall, who was projected to finish fourth in the East, but finished seventh.
Team Stats | 2022 Conference USA Basketball Tournament
(W1) North Texas Mean Green
NET Ranking: 44 (No. 1 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 48 (No. 1 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 107 (109)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 93.2 (20)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +0.48 (140)
(E1) Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
NET Ranking: 105 (No. 4 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 101 (No. 3 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 106.4 (120)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 99.3 (98)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -1.38 (186)
(W2) UAB Blazers
NET Ranking: 54 (No. 2 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 53 (No. 2 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 112.1 (33)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 98.6 (79)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -1.84 (194)
(E2) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
NET Ranking: 121 (No. 5 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 112 (No. 5 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 107.8 (93)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 102.8 (159)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.95 (168)
(W3) LA Tech Bulldogs
NET Ranking: 104 (No. 3 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 102 (No. 4 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 108.2 (88)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 101.3 (130)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.95 (169)
(E3) Florida Atlantic Owls
NET Ranking: 125 (No. 6 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 125 (No. 6 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 106.7 (113)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 102.9 (163)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -2.46 (210)
(W4) UTEP Miners
NET Ranking: 167 (No. 7 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 172 (No. 7 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 101.3 (222)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 101.5 (133)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.96 (170)
(E4) Charlotte 49ers
NET Ranking: 179 (No. 8 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 192 (No. 9 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 106.3 (124)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 108.0 (265)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.53 (158)
(W5) Rice Owls
NET Ranking: 193 (No. 9 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 185 (No. 8 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 101.4 (219)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 102.7 (156)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +0.08 (146)
(E5) Old Dominion Monarchs
NET Ranking: 222 (No. 10 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 227 (No. 10 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 106.7 (116)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 111.2 (316)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -2.45 (209)
(W6) FIU Panthers
NET Ranking: 259 (No. 12 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 267 (No. 12 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 98.4 (274)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 106.6 (243)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -3.95 (251)
(E6) UTSA Roadrunners
NET Ranking: 321 (No. 13 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 311 (No. 13 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 95.3 (323)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 108.1 (267)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -1.10 (174)
(W7) Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
NET Ranking: 342 (No. 14 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 340 (No. 14 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 94.7 (329)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 112.4 (333)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +0.62 (136)
(E7) Marshall Thundering Herd
NET Ranking: 241 (No. 11 in CUSA)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 241 (No. 11 in CUSA)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 102.1 (205)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 108.3 (272)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +0.57 (137)
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