Conference USA 2007-08 Preview
by Phil Kasiecki

When the subject is Conference USA basketball, the discussion invariably centers around Memphis, and with good reason. Everyone in the conference is chasing the Tigers, fresh off consecutive Elite Eight appearances and now being talked about as a serious national title contender this season. The Tigers ran [...]

Conference USA Championship Recap
by Ryan Westin

No. 1 Memphis 71, No. 3 Houston 59
Day four from the FedEx Forum in Memphis brought a solid effort from Houston against the heavily-favored Memphis Tigers. The Cougars were able to play toe-to-toe with the Tigers for 38 minutes, but it was the last two minutes of the first [...]

Conference USA Tournament Semifinal Recap
by Ryan Westin

No. 1 Memphis 71, No. 4 Tulane 49
Day three of the Conference USA tournament brought about the semifinals at the FedEx Forum and looked eerily similar to day two as Memphis absolutely pummeled Tulane in the first twenty minutes of contest in yet another impressive first half effort. [...]

Conference USA Tournament Quarterfinal Recap
by Ryan Westin

No. 1 Memphis 92, No. 8 Marshall 71
Day two of the Conference USA tournament started out and ended with what March madness is all about as three contests were decided by a three point shot as time dwindled down. Top seeded Memphis was able to cruise to an [...]

Conference USA Tournament Opening Round
by Ryan Westin

The first round of Conference USA tournament action is complete and surprisingly brought no upsets in the four contests. The first round did bring three close contests, two of which were of the come-from-behind variety by Rice and Marshall. Rice was down by 11 in the second half [...]

Conference USA 2006-07 Preview
by Phil Kasiecki

Conference USA prognosticators will generally agree on a couple of things entering the 2006-07 season, its second since the major changeover in membership. One is that Memphis is the pick to win. The other is that Morris Almond’s return to Rice after testing the NBA Draft waters [...]

Conference USA Notebook
by Zach Van Hart

Well, it wasn’t the five-way tie witnessed last season, but it was a
great regular season in Conference USA. The Louisville Cardinals
finally made it through February without collapsing and earned their
first ever C-USA regular season championship. Along with the Cards,
Cincinnati and Charlotte are locks for the NCAA Tournament, while
DePaul and [...]

Conference USA Notebook
by Zach Van Hart

Rivalries end, ending

Half of C-USA is ecstatic about what changes next season present, because those universities are moving to more talented basketball leagues. But even the likes of Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville and others understand the sad part of the move: the ending of what have become intense rivalries.

Saturday likely [...]

Conference USA Notebook
by Zach Van Hart

Banks gone

Sean Banks’ season is over. After starting slow this season and being suspended for one game for a poor attitude, Memphis announced on Sunday that Banks is academically ineligible for the remainder of the season. But head coach John Calipari sounded more like this was the end of [...]

Conference USA Notebook
by Zach Van Hart

Houston’s upset special

It didn’t take long for head coach Tom Penders to make a difference at Houston. The Cougars beat a ranked team for the first time in eight seasons with a win against No. 16 Louisville, 70-67. Andre Owens scored 27, including the game-winning basket, a three-pointer, with [...]

Conference USA Notebook
by Zach Van Hart

New and old stepping up

We all know the likes of Louisville’s Francisco Garcia and Marquette’s Travis Diener are going to star nearly every game. We knew it before the season started. However, several players we have known for the past few seasons have busted out as stars early this [...]

Conference USA Notebook
by Zach Van Hart

Top teams missing top guns

Injures have already left an effect on C-USA’s best teams so far this season. Each of the conference’s top four preseason teams have suffered some kind of injury (or the occasional suspension). We’ll start with Louisville, which may have to ask assistant coach and former [...]

Conference USA Notebook
by Zach Van Hart

Looks can be deceiving

Marquette is 9-0. Cincinnati is 6-0. South Florida has a winning record. While these all may seem like shocking developments, (really, South Florida has a winning record?!?), a closer look will shed light on why. It’s called a weak non-conference schedule, something all three teams have [...]

Conference USA 2003-04 Season Recap
by Zach Van Hart

In a word, last year was a classic one for C-USA. The conference achieved something that had never happened before in the history of Division I college basketball – a five-way tie for first place. Cincinnati, Charlotte, DePaul, UAB and Memphis all finished 12-4 during the regular [...]

Conference USA Quarterfinals Recap

Recap by Zach Van Hart

No. 4 UAB 77, No. 5 Charlotte 66
The Blazers started the second half with a 16-2 run and would never trail by more than six points from there on, cruising to a 77-66 win in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament. Morris Finley led [...]

Conference USA Semifinals Preview

Preview by Zach Van Hart

No. 1 DePaul versus No. 4 UAB
The two co-champions that no one was talking about at the beginning of the season will meet in semifinal No. 1 at the C-USA Tournament Friday. DePaul advanced with an 89-64 win against TCU, while the Blazers knocked [...]

Conference USA Semifinals Recap

Recap by Zach Van Hart

No. 1 DePaul 75, No. 4 UAB 74
The lane opened up like the first present on Christmas morning. After a second of hesitation, Delonte Holland saw the opening and took advantage. Trailing by one and holding for the final shot, Holland was fouled driving to the [...]

Conference USA Finals Preview

Preview by Zach Van Hart

No. 1 DePaul versus No. 3 Cincinnati
For the third-straight day, conference regular season co-champions will meet up in the C-USA tournament. This time it will be DePaul and Cincinnati and it will be for the tournament championship, as the two squads will meet at 11:45 a.m. [...]

Conference USA First Round Recap

Recap by Zach Van Hart

No. 5 Charlotte 78, No. 12 Tulane 48
Five days ago, Charlotte defeated Tulane 79-65 to clinch a share of the regular season title. Wednesday was more of the same, as the Niners sprinted to a 12-2 lead and never looked back, eventually winning 78-48. “It’s [...]

Conference USA Quarterfinals Preview

Preview by Zach Van Hart

No. 3 Cincinnati versus No. 6 Louisville
It’s always a battle when the Bearcats and Cardinals take the floor. Thursday shouldn’t be any different as these two square off in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament. While the game is being played in Cincinnati, the Cards [...]

Conference USA Notebook
by Zach Van Hart

NCAA history?

Two-way tie for the regular season championship, that happens all the time in Division I basketball. Three-way tie, not very likely yet occasionally could happen. But a five-way tie for the title; that’s not only uncommon, it may be unprecedented. When DePaul, [...]

Conference USA Notebook
by Zach Van Hart

Happenings up top

With five teams still in contention for the regular season title, there was a plethora of big games last week. Two of the biggest wins came via road teams, plus a few big wins from home teams.

The first big win of the [...]

Conference USA Notebook
by Zach Van Hart

Block party

Welcome to C-USA, where all those who enter the lane beware; your shot may find its way into the third row seats. The conference is home to some of the nation’s shot blockers, while many are unheralded or just flat out unknown. Three [...]

Conference USA Notebook
by Zach Van Hart

Breakthrough of the week

Last week it was East Carolina winning on the road. This week it was USF winning – period. The last team with no conference wins finally cracked the ‘W’ column with a 68-60 against Southern Miss Saturday. Even without star forward Terrance [...]

Conference USA Notebook
by Zach Van Hart

Breakthrough of the week

While this score line – East Carolina 59, USF 57 – is not going to make it anywhere on SportsCenter, it was a historic win for the Pirates. After two and a half years in C-USA, East Carolina has its first conference road win. Not only [...]