Three teams still alive: NCAA Elite 8 and NIT Final Four (2 teams.)
Conference USA UNDERRATED!
- Thread starter Vegasminer
- Start date
Actually this year, I thought even the bottom teams were more competitive than previous years. The league in general was tough. FAU was in several close games, and I think the league play prepared them well. That goes for the othet teams as well in post season play.
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They are no longer CUSA. Every single one of them is leaving. So, great to see, but it does nothing for the conference going forward, it only makes the AAC that much better. Much to DBMiner's point. We are left with all the bottom dwellers.
So, while it is great to cheer and bang our chests, I don't see Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, and Sam Houston State making the conference any stronger.
So, while it is great to cheer and bang our chests, I don't see Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, and Sam Houston State making the conference any stronger.
Would be great if one day UTEP was one of those teams. CBI finals appearance just isn’t cutting it…
No, CUSA is not underrated. They didn’t have a 2nd NCAA caliber team this year and haven’t for a long time. Winning postseason games aren’t an indication of conference strength. Especially NIT and CBI games.
However, FAU is really good and probably benefited from Purdue’s upset. Of course, they will be leaving and if they’re good next year, the AAC will get the rub and not CUSA.
However, FAU is really good and probably benefited from Purdue’s upset. Of course, they will be leaving and if they’re good next year, the AAC will get the rub and not CUSA.
I remember when people were upset that CUSA added UNT and FAU basketball. Now they’re the top of the conference.
Yep. Both McCasland and May are now hot commodities. In May's case even more, especially with such a young team at FAU. I can't see any reason for a P5 school to not grab May, who can likely bring along a top 20 ready built roster via the portal.
I think they’re both gone. Neither school has a basketball history prior to these last few years. They could either build on the momentum or return to their old ways. The AAC is by no means getting two top 50 teams next season. There’s a lot of off season questions surrounding the programs.
UNT and UAB both made the NIT final four. UNT's NET ranking was 38 (Nevada, which made the Dance, was at 37).
I wasn’t sold on FAU because of their regular season strength of schedule — I was wrong.
May is making hay.
May is making hay.
And? Arizona St and Pittsburgh were in the high 60s and got at-large bids. UNT was not on anyone’s first 4 out, next 4 out. They were not in the conversation. Who did they beat in non-conference? They lost by 30 to St Marys and were swept by FAU.
You know why their NET was 38? They had 4 neutral court wins in the non-conference and a road win. I’ve been telling you guys for years, that UTEP will never be shit in basketball because they play too many home games against weak opponents. You don’t get better, you don’t play at a high level and you don’t get good computer numbers.
Also, all the teams that are “carrying the CUSA flag” are gone. MTSU, WKU, UTEP, FIU, and LaTech didn’t do shit this year.
Basketball experts say McCasland is off to TT. If UNT finds buried treasure I think he will stay. More money, new conference, constantly watered and fertile recruiting grounds. Name grounded with UNT versus having to win over TT fans who will want former coach Beard like results on day 1 and be compared to Beard.
"McCasland has earned a Power Six coaching job, he’s proven himself at every stop". But he is entering the realm of Texas coaching legends at UNT. As the article below says : "He wins". If he falters at TT, that will be gone. I'd stay at UNT.
https://www.heartlandcollegesports....-mccasland-potentially-landing-at-texas-tech/
"McCasland has earned a Power Six coaching job, he’s proven himself at every stop". But he is entering the realm of Texas coaching legends at UNT. As the article below says : "He wins". If he falters at TT, that will be gone. I'd stay at UNT.
https://www.heartlandcollegesports....-mccasland-potentially-landing-at-texas-tech/
MTSU, WKU, and Liberty with potentially SHSU should be a decent core to build on, with KSU and NMSU having some potential.
Conference still sucks and it is even worse that UTEP has one of the largest athletics budget in this conference and they are/will still be a joke.
This past season was probably CUSAs best in awhile. If FAU didn’t win the tournament, they would have received an at-large and CUSA would have had 2 teams. But they did win, and only got the 1.
CUSA could end being a good basketball league, with a season similar to this, being the pinnacle of what they could achieve. No way they will ever have 2 teams good enough for at-large bids, without tournament expansion of course.
So Charlotte already won the CBI. UNT and UAB are in the NIT final four, and of course FAU is in the Elite Eight. Wouldn't it be funny if CUSA won all three tournaments?
Nice way to try and crap on teams that are doing what UTEP has not been able to do.
Congratulations to FAU! Wow!! Go win it all!!
Nice to finally see the little guys shine on the big stage.
When they did the "reseeding" of the 16 teams, they put FAU at 16. When they did they 8, they put them at 8. Incredible tournament and another example of the fact that "lower" conferences can play, and they need to stop inviting 5-6+ teams from each of the "big" conferences.
I have said for ages the top 5 in our conference can play with anyone it was just the lower half was bringing our conference down and I got a lot of crap for that …
This year yes. Previous years…. Not even close to being accurate.
Top 5
FAU - L at Ole Miss (bad team) W at Florida (NIT team)
UNT - L at St Marys Best win is vs SJSU
UAB - L vs Toledo and at WVU. Ws vs Georgia and South Carolina (2 bad teams)
MTSU- Ls to Winthrop, Missouri St, and St Bonaventure. Best W over Belmont
Charlotte- W over Boise. Ls to UMass and Detroit.
That’s CUSAs “best”. Not to mention both MTSU and Charlotte lost to UTEP and UTSA once each. So CUSA can’t really “play with anyone”. They prove year after year, they can’t.
Really? FAU is in the Final Four and UAB and UNT are in the NIT Final Four.
FAU also beat Memphis, Farleigh Dickenson, Tennessee, and Kansas State.
UNT also beat Oklahoma State and Wisconsin and UAB also beat Vanderbilt.
The top three teams in C-USA at most, are pretty good. Right now, FAU is having its best season in history. That's great for right now. It'll be interesting to see what they do with this momentum in the AAC. It won't mean a thing for C-USA after this season. I hope we get a good payout for this. We certainly need it. C-USA is the conference of the left behinds. Especially the remaining five holdovers (this means UTEP) are schools that are just plain unwilling to step up to make their athletic departments better. I wish it were different. There was a time, years ago, when the conference seemed hungrier to succeed. Now it's like they are thrilled to death just to be treading water in the same spot season after season. Very frustrating for the fans. Oh well.
Post season results aren’t how teams are selected and they’re not used for conference strength. The Big Ten did horrible this year, does anyone here think CUSA is better than the Big Ten? No, of course not.
St Peters made the Elite 8 last year. Do any of you know what conference they play in? Did any of you start claiming their conference was/is better than CUSA last year?
Counting FDU as a good win, is quite simply, moronic. They lost to 3 different teams going through their D1 transitions last year. UTEP would beat them most times. They suck. Except for their 1 in 1,000,000 chance against Purdue.
Its been a fun tourney, I don't see a reason to hate on the departing teams... They are still in CUSA right now, so good luck.. Next year "F them and feed them fish"- The Nun. lol
Good part is the money stays with the conference and not the team.
Yep and hopefully UTEP’s portion of the money will be used to buyout Dimel at the end of the season. But Senter probably use it as Dimel contract extension money.
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