3MW’s All Conference Team:
Player of the Year: Javion Hamlet, R Jr., North Texas
Coach of the Year: Grant McCasland, North Texas
Newcomer of the Year: Javion Hamlet, R Jr., North Texas
Freshman of the Year: Jahmir Young, Charlotte
Season Storylines:
The biggest story in the league was the unfortunate ACL tear suffered by Western Kentucky’s Charles Bassey, as the former 5-star recruit was likely the best player in the league. The Hilltoppers adapted wonderfully to his absence, playing smaller and faster (mostly by necessity) and even surviving Camron Justice’s back woes to still seize the 2-seed in the league tournament. Honestly, Rick Stansbury could be Coach of the Year here, but my keyboard electric shocked me for even typing that, so we’ll go with the guy in charge of the league champ.
Finishing ahead of the Hilltoppers was North Texas, a squad I liked quite a bit in the preseason, contrary to many C-USA prognostications. Of course, I expected a fully healthy Roosevelt Smart, but Grant McCasland and the Mean Green managed to succeed with Smart continuing to be a shell of himself. McCasland integrated a bevy of newcomers to build one of the most potent perimeter offenses in the country.
In the tier below those two, Charlotte drastically exceeded expectations, riding the new backcourt of freshman Jahmir Young and Oklahoma transfer Jordan Shepherd to a 4th-place finish. Ron Sanchez’s “Virginia-zation” of the 49ers program continues to progress, and Tony Bennett assistants may soon become the college basketball equivalent of Sean McVay staffers in the NFL.
On the other end of the spectrum, the University of Texas educational system disappointed across the board, as both UTSA and UTEP tumbled towards the depths of the league standings. The Roadrunners never found complementary options alongside Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace, while Rodney Terry simply could not properly assemble the puzzle of talent he had brought in to El Paso. If you had told me that both of FIU and FAU would be better than both of UTEP and UTSA in the preseason, I’d have said you spent too much time and money in Fort Lauderdale slamming fruity cocktails.
Tournament Preview
Welcome to the most outrageous conference tournament format in all of the land (the “Frisco Disco,” as we call it), in which two games are played simultaneously in the same facility (see below for a lovely visual aid of the set up). I want to go on record that this format is #bad, as it deprives us of the glorious tradition that is daytime basketball (since all four games can be played in the night session). Bring back day ball!
Of note: the bottom two seeds got the boot, so you won’t see Southern Miss or Middle Tennessee here.
Due to its balanced nature, C-USA has some deadly double-digit seeds, and all are from the Lone Star State. Rice can get hot from the perimeter, and I’ve already discussed how UTSA and UTEP have the talent/pedigree to make a run themselves.
Ultimately, though, I like the draw for North Texas. Sure, the Mean Green lost to Charlotte recently, but that game meant absolutely nothing to them, and they have the elite perimeter shooting to loosen up the 49ers’ pack line. Plus, they can wait for Western Kentucky and Louisiana Tech to beat each other up on the bottom half of the bracket.
Tournament Predictions
(8) Old Dominion over (9) Florida Atlantic
(5) FIU over (12) Rice
(10) UTSA over (7) UAB
(11) UTEP over (6) Marshall
(1) North Texas over (8) Old Dominion
(4) Charlotte over (5) FIU
(2) Western Kentucky over (10) UTSA
(11) UTEP over (3) Louisiana Tech
(1) North Texas over (4) Charlotte
(2) Western Kentucky over (11) UTEP
(1) North Texas over (2) Western Kentucky