College Basketball: Conference USA Predictions

First of all how can Conference USA be considered a mid-major when you have a Memphis team that has a high profile head coach, can recruit 5 star athletes and compete at the highest level. You have schools with solid basketball traditions that will spend money like UTEP & UAB. I put this league in the major category.

Go ahead, say this league is just Memphis and the rest, fine. But I can’t imagine the rest of the league not benefitting from the Tigers’ success. Remember, Memphis made some major coin going to the NCAA title game for the league. Memphis won’t run the table in C-USA this year but they are still the best team.

Best Team In Conference USA – Memphis Tigers:
Memphis may have lost Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey but the cupboard isn’t bare. Robert Dozier and Antonio Anderson return from last year’s NCAA runner up team. Memphis needs to find a point guard and a banger in the paint to get rebounds and do the dirty work on defense but the Tigers have the best talent and depth in the league and should win it. Though they won’t go undefeated.

Best Player In Conference USA: Robert Vaden – UAB:
Vaden followed Mike Davis from Indiana to UAB and made an impact averaging 21.1 PPG and leading the league in 3’s. He’s back after testing the NBA waters and should top those numbers this season.

Team That Could Surprise: UTEP Miners:
Stefon Jackson can score, he averaged 23.6 points per game last season but the big difference in El Paso is they have size this year. 7 footer Kareem Cooper comes in after transferring from Memphis. If Cooper produces it could propel UTEP up the C-USA ladder.

Who Goes Dancing: Memphis, UAB, Tulsa

Who Plays For Number 66: UTEP

Conference USA Notes: Did you know that Tulsa ended the 2007-08 season with a win. The Golden Hurricane won the College Basketball Invitational and I’m sure that banner raising ceremony will be special. SMU head coach Matt Doherty is feeling some heat under his britches to improve the Mustangs. The ‘Stangs are young this year with 1 senior and rest sophomores & juniors so improvement may have to wait a year. Memphis has won 42 straight C-USA games. Expect that to end this year.

Photo Courtesy: The Birmingham News