Conference USA Tournament Kicks Off
Previewing day one of the Conference USA Tournament. Can UTEP or Sam Houston make a deep run? Join us for full coverage of this week's tournament!
The Conference USA has been a dog fight all season long. Liberty finished in first place at 25-6 (13-5), Middle Tennessee and Jacksonville State finished in second place at 21-10 (12-6) and 20-11 (12-6), while Kennesaw State and New Mexico State tied for third at 18-13 (10-8) and 17-14 (10-8). Louisiana Tech, Western Kentucky, UTEP, and Sam Houston all finished one game behind each other, while FIU came in last at just 3-15 in conference.
Coming down the stretch of the season, every single game had huge implications, including the seeding for the conference tournament. What’s going to raise the stakes even more is, teams like Louisiana Tech, WKY, UTEP, and Sam Houston all have potential to make runs. With the structure of the tournament, all it would take is three wins.
The CUSA Tournament is truly anyone’s game. UTEP and Sam Houston face off in the first game on Tuesday night, followed by Western Kentucky vs FIU. The winner of the first game will take on Liberty on Wednesday, while the latter faces Jacksonville State. On Thursday, Kennesaw State and New Mexico State go head to head, while Middle Tennessee State at Louisiana Tech battle it out.
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Before we dive into the preview, I’m excited to announce that Bracket Busters will have boots on the ground at the CUSA Tournament in Huntsville! I’ll be attending the Thursday through Saturday games, so be sure to pay attention to your inboxes for highlights and recaps from an exciting week of basketball! Paid subscribers may even get a little extra!
Now, let’s take a look at the first set of games starting tonight!
Sam Houston vs UTEP
We honestly couldn’t ask for a better game to kick off the Conference USA Tournament than Sam Houston vs UTEP. You might look at their 6-12 and 7-11 records in conference, but they are not representative of the potential these two teams present.
Sam Houston has lost more close games than any team in the country this season. The Bearkats lost eight games by six or less points and lost just one game in conference by double-digits. If even half of those games went their way, they’d be 17-14. They ended the conference play hot, winning their last two games over UTEP 89-87 and New Mexico State 76-69.
The player you need to know from the Bearkats is Lamar Wilkerson. He’s averaging 20.4 points, four rebounds, two assists, and one steal per game on the season. Over his last four, he’s averaging 26.8 points. This is a veteran player who’s not going to go quietly in this tournament.
For UTEP, the Miners are going to want to hit the reset button at the start of the tournament. On February 13th, the Miners were 17-7 overall and 7-4 in conference. They proceeded to lose seven games in a row to end their season, finishing 17-14 and just 7-1 in conference. While the regular season didn’t end how they wanted, the conference tournament is a clean slate where all they have to do is win three games.
Otis Frazier III is going to be the key piece for the Miners as he averages 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. However, over their seven game losing streak, he’s averaging just 10.1 points per game, mostly skewed by a 25 points performance against Jacksonville State. If you take that game out, he’s averaging just 7.7 points over those six games.
Keys to the game:
For Sam Houston, they have to finish strong. They have gaps in their defense, so they can’t afford to let up on the gas peddle one bit. They need to apply pressure and find open looks outside as they aren’t a strong finisher inside the arc.
For UTEP, they need to limit the threes. They rank 158th in 3pt percentage defense, but Sam Houston is 6th in the country in 3pt percentage.
Otis Frazier needs to bust out of his slump.
Either of these two teams could become a dark horse in the CUSA Tournament.
Florida International vs Western Kentucky
It hasn’t been a pretty year for the FIU Panthers. Since the start of 2025, the Panthers have won just three games, knocking off WKU, Sam Houston in overtime, and Kennesaw State. On the season, they are just 9-22 and 3-15 in conference, with two non-division one wins.
The Panthers struggle mightily on offense. They rank 336th in effective field goal percentage, 357th in 3pt percentage, and 334th in offensive efficiency. They are roughly in the middle of the road on the defensive end, which is what has projected them to their nine wins. Opponents scored 70+ in just three of their nine wins on the season. It’s worth noting that yes, they did beat WKU in conference. However, the Panthers shot a lights out 11-22 from 3pt in that game which accounts for roughly 7% of their total three point baskets for the entire season.
For Western Kentucky, it’s been a rollercoaster of a year. The Hilltoppers started off 10-4 on the season, but they were all over the place in conference. For example, they won three games in a row and proceeded to lose the next four. The end of the season was no difference as they finished 3-2 in their last five games while finishing 17-14 and 8-10 in conference.
While not quite to the level of FIU, the Hilltoppers’ offense struggles. They rank 246th in 3pt percentage, 292nd in 2pt percentage, and 298th in effective field goal percentage. However, their defense is much better where they rank 104th in defensive efficiency, 29th in opponent 3pt percentage, and 105th in opponent 2pt percentage.
Keys to the game:
For FIU, they have to step up the defense. They aren’t going to match the Hilltoppers on offense unless they pull out another 11-22 3pt shooting game. That doesn’t mean WKU are juggernauts offensively, so the Panthers have an opportunity to step up give on defense and keep WKU under 70.
For Western Kentucky, they have to smother FIU within the arc. FIU is a horrendous shooting team from deep and WKU presents strong perimeter defense, so FIU’s plan of attack will predominately live inside. For WKU to escape a trap game, they have to clog the lanes and limit offensive opportunities down low.
We’ll be posting daily recaps from the Conference USA Tournament this week, so make sure to subscribe to keep up-to-date on the latest news and game recaps!