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Posted 01/09/2008 at 04:15 PM
I have been monitoring Conference USA basketball this season, and have gone 25-17 (59%, +6.3 units) taking games involving C-USA teams this season. I believe in trying to concentrate in maybe a conference or two, since tracking over 340 teams is a very tall task everyday. C-USA is not in the same ballpark as the ACC, SEC, Big East, or Pac-10, but the majority of teams are still good names, and there is plenty of value to be found there, so I will keep you posted on what's going on there as well as review my picks a couple of times a week here on VegasInsider.com. So far, I'm 1-0 in conference play, with UCF winning as a six-point dog at Southern Miss last night. The Eagles have been disappointing so far, as Larry Eustachy did a nice job reviving that program last year, but this year USM has some bad losses, including to Savannah State, that coming before the loss to UCF. The Knights are a tough team to figure out, because they are talented, but have run into a tough schedule, including losing to Villanova, UConn, and Ole Miss.
We see eight teams in action tonight, and while there is a long way to go until we figure out this race, it's everyone not named Memphis playing for second place in the conference tournament. John Calipari's Tigers are possibly a Final Four team, so them going 16-0 in C-USA play isn't a stretch, and even if they slip up once or twice, it's just preparation for the Big Dance. Now onto the rest:
Who's second-best in this conference? Good question right now. At this minute, Houston, UTEP, Tulane, and UAB right now all have a case. Tulane and UAB will be by far the best game to kick off the season tonight. UCF, Marshall, and Tulsa are all middle of the pack, then it's Southern Miss, East Carolina, Rice, and SMU. Rice has played probably the best competition of any team in the conference that's not named Memphis, and while the Owls have a way to go, they are a team to keep an eye as a home dog all season. SMU has a ways to go, as Matt Doherty is dealing with a very young team, and the Mustangs played only three lined games in non-conference play.
This should be another fun season in this conference to see how things shake up, as the bulk of the teams get going tonight. Stay tuned here on my blog all season to stay updated and check out my C-USA picks on the college basketball section here on VI.
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