College Basketball Preview - Conference USA

Cbasketball Betting Lines

10/30/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - OUTLOOK: For a third straight season, the Memphis Tigers are expected to dominate Conference USA, which hasn't been the same since the league lost several key members a few years ago. Last season, the Tigers became the first team in C-USA history to go undefeated during the regular season (16-0) and also claim the tournament title. Memphis, which has won a nation-best 32 straight home games, returns nearly every player from last year's club and that is why this team is expected to win its third consecutive C-USA title. Unlike last year though, there are a few teams that could upend Memphis this season, including UAB. The Blazers have a solid returning core of players and they also should benefit from several key transfers. Houston has one of its most talented teams in recent memory and it could also challenge the Tigers. Southern Mississippi is coming off a surprising campaign and it could be ready to take the next step. Tulsa and Tulane are both solid programs and each should finish in the middle of the pack. Texas-El Paso and Marshall each have some star players returning, but both teams lack depth. UCF lost its top scorer from a year ago, but the Knights always seem to find a way to be successful. SMU, East Carolina and Rice are all rebuilding and are a year or two away from being competitive.

CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Memphis

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Memphis, 2. UAB, 3. Houston, 4. Southern Mississippi, 5. Tulsa, 6. Tulane, 7. UCF, 8. Texas-El Paso, 9. Marshall, 10. SMU, 11. East Carolina, 12. Rice

TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:

MEMPHIS: The Tigers, under the guidance of John Calipari, have simply owned C-USA since the league broke up two years ago, posting a 35-1 record versus conference foes over the last two seasons. Memphis has made back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament and expectations are even higher this season thanks to the return of all five starters and several key reserves from last year's team that finished 33-4. What makes the Tigers so tough is their depth, as they welcome back seven players that averaged over 14 minutes per game last season. Leading the way for Memphis in 2007-08 will once again be Chris Douglas-Roberts, who led the team in scoring with 15.4 ppg a year ago. The 6-6 guard shot 54.3 percent from the floor last season and he has the ability to get to the rim as well as knock down an outside shot. Antonio Anderson will join Douglas-Roberts at the perimeter and he is a solid defender and all-around player. The 6-6 Anderson led the team in minutes (28.0 mpg) and assists (3.6 apg) and he also contributed 8.0 rpg and 4.1 rpg in 2006-07. Freshman Derrick Rose is considered one of the top recruits in the nation and his passing ability will most likely land him a spot in the starting lineup. Up front, the Tigers will turn to the tandem of Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier. Dorsey joined Douglas-Roberts as a first-team all-conference pick last season and he was also the recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year award. The 6-9 forward grabbed a team-high 9.4 rpg and blocked 2.2 shots per game last season and he also chipped in with 8.5 ppg on 61.4 percent shooting from the field. As for Dozier, he was pushed around in the low post for much of last season, but he still averaged 9.6 ppg and 6.2 rpg. The 6-9 Dozier really came alive in the postseason last year and the team is hoping he can build off that success. Depth in the frontcourt could be a concern for the Tigers, but they did just fine with the same problem last season.

UAB: Former Indiana head coach Mike Davis took over at the helm of UAB last season, but the Blazers took a step back in finishing just 15-16 overall and 7-9 in league play. Davis however, should have the Blazers back on track this season, as three starters return and three of his transfers are now eligible to play. Walter Sharpe, Robert Vaden and Channing Toney all transferred to UAB last season to play under Davis, but all were forced to sit out the year due to NCAA transfer rules. Sharpe is a 6-9 forward that played just six games at Mississippi State before leaving, but he was a top-50 prospect coming out of high school. His size alone will pay immediate dividends for this club. Vaden is the jewel of the transfers and he played under Davis at Indiana. The 6-5 guard led Indiana in assists (109) and steals (38) and ranked second in scoring (13.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg) in 2005-06, and he should have no problem duplicating those numbers in a less talented conference. As for Toney, he is a 6-5 guard that transferred from Georgia, where he started 51-of-56 career games and averaged 8.5 ppg in 2005-06. While these three players will certainly have an impact, UAB still runs through Paul Delaney III. The 6-2 guard is extremely talented and versatile, and earned First-Team All- conference accolades last season after averaging 15.5 ppg, 5.2 apg and 4.8 rpg. He is also a tenacious defender, recording a team-high 59 steals. Lawrence Kinnard, a 6-8 forward, averaged 13.0 ppg and 6.2 rpg last season and he is also a threat from long range, making good on 41.0 percent of his shots. Mix in a few talented freshman and UAB could be headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years.

HOUSTON: Tom Penders has yet to bring Houston back to the NCAA Tournament during his tenure, but he has been close and this could be the season he gets the job done. The Cougars welcome back three starters and some key reserves from last year's squad, which went 10-6 in league play and lost to Memphis in the finals of the C-USA Tournament. Guard Robert McKiver will once again run the show for Houston after erupting for 19.2 ppg a year ago. The 6-3 McKiver also dished out 3.4 apg and he should have no trouble duplicating last year's performance that landed him first-team all-league accolades. The Cougars and McKiver should also benefit from the return of guard Lanny Smith, who received a medical waiver from the NCAA for the 2006-07. The 6-3 Smith was an all- conference selection in 2005-06 and his return will help fill the void left by Oliver Lafayette, who graduated after ranking second on the team in scoring (14.3 ppg) a year ago. For the Cougars to reach their expectations, they will need to get some scoring and solid play from the frontcourt. Dion Dowell, a former Texas transfer, averaged 11.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg last season, but Houston will need even more production from him this time around. The Cougars, though, should receive some help from Seton Hall transfer Marcus Cousin, who started 13 games for the Pirates in 2005-06. At 6-11, Cousin is the tallest player to play for Penders at Houston and his size is definitely going to help.

SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI: In just his third season in Hattiesburg, head coach Larry Eustachy put the Golden Eagles program back on the map, as USM captured a winning season and its first 20-win campaign since 2000-01. The team also posted a winning C-USA season (9-7) for the first time in six years, and with four starters and several key role players back in the fold, the Eagles should be only better in 2007-08. What was so surprising about last year's success was the fact USM had no seniors on the roster and it started several freshman. Well, those freshman gained valuable experience last year and they are primed to take the Eagles to the next level. Heading the charge is guard Jeremy Wise, who was voted the C-USA Freshman and Newcomer of the Year in 2006-07. The 6-2 Wise led the team in scoring (17.5 ppg) and assists (3.0 apg), as he earned second-team all-conference accolades. Wise, though, was wasn't the only freshman to make a splash in Hattiesburg last season, as Sai'Quon Stone also turned in a great rookie campaign. The 6-6 guard is a physical player that ranked second to Wise in scoring (10.3 ppg) and he also led the team in rebounding (5.4 rpg) last season. The Eagles also return a pair of solid veterans to the backcourt in Courtney Beasley and Craig Craft, whom chipped in with 9.7 ppg and 8.7 ppg, respectively. Much like most of C-USA, the Eagles lack an inside presence, although they do have a pair of seven-footers on the roster. Gustavo Lino, a Brazilian native, is one of those seven-footers and the freshman is athletic enough to jump right into the starting lineup. His ability to produce immediately will surely play a big part in this team's success.

TULSA: The Golden Hurricane improved by leaps and bounds in Doug Wojcik's second season as head coach, as Tulsa won nine more games than the 2005-06 season. The team posted a 20-11 record in 2006-07 and with four starters and some important reserves back from that team, the Hurricane should be just as successful this season. Tulsa's strength resides in the backcourt, where Rod Earls, Ben Uzoh and Brett McDade all return to their starting roles. Earls, who sat out the 2005-06 season with a broken foot, led Tulsa in scoring (11.2 ppg) last season and he is deadly from long range, hitting on 40.8 percent of his three-point attempts. Uzoh put together a tremendous freshman campaign in 2006-07, as the 6-3 guard averaged 9.9 ppg and a team-high 5.0 rpg in starting all but one game. As for McDade, he ran the point and averaged 6.8 ppg last season, but he will need to avoid committing too many turnovers if he wants to keep his job. Up front, Tulsa was dealt a big blow when athletic forward Jamel McLean (6.0 ppg) decided to transfer to Xavier. The team's best option down low is now Jerome Jordan, a seven-foot Jamaican center that played well in the second half of his freshman campaign in 2006-07.

TULANE: Head coach Dave Dickerson did a phenomenal job in just his second season at the helm of Tulane, as he led the Green Wave to 17 wins last year, its most since the 1999-2000 campaign. Four starters return from last year's club and that should have Tulane competing for a 20-win campaign in 2007-08. Much like last season, the team will run through David Gomez, a 6-7 forward who led the team in scoring (13.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.8 rpg) a year ago. The third-team all-conference selection is just 83 points shy of becoming the 29th Green Wave play to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Joining Gomez in the frontcourt will be Daniel Puckett and Donnie Stith, whom combined to average 13.7 ppg and 9.4 rpg a year ago. At the perimeter, Kevin Sims will look to build off his solid freshman campaign in which he averaged 10.2 ppg and a team-high (3.2 apg). The 5-10 Sims had some troubles with turnovers (91) last season, but if he can improve in that area, there is no reason why he can't be one of the top point guards in the conference. Incoming freshman Jake Henderson could be asked to join the Sims in the backcourt if nobody else steps up.

UCF: In just its second year in C-USA, UCF finished in second place with an 11-5 finish in 2006-07. Kirk Speraw deserves a lot of credit for last season's success and he received that by being named the C-USA Coach of the Year. With three starters and nine players overall returning from last year's club that finished 22-9 overall, Speraw will surely have the Knights competing for another solid finish in his 15th year as head coach at the school. With the graduation of leading scorer Josh Peppers (14.3 ppg), UCF will now turn to Jermaine Taylor to produce offense in 2007-08. Despite not starting a single game last season, the 6-4 guard ranked second on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg), while shooting 41.4 percent from long distance. Mike O'Donnell and Davie Noel return to their starting spots at the perimeter and they give the Knights one of the top backcourts in the league. O'Donnell, a 6-0 point guard, averaged 10.3 ppg and 3.7 apg last season and he knocked down 43.0 percent of his shots from long distance. Noel, at 6-3, has good size and he showed great improvement last season, averaging 9.1 ppg and 3.8 rpg. In the frontcourt, the Knights lack any real presence, so expect them to bomb away from long range to make up for that.

TEXAS-EL PASO: After making three straight postseason appearances, the Miners finished a disappointing 14-17 overall under first year head coach Tony Barbee in 2006-07. It wasn't really Barbee's fault though, as he inherited a team that had just three experienced players. Still, Barbee implemented an up tempo system and that seemed to work most of the time, as UTEP finished second in the conference in scoring with an average of 75.6 ppg. Three starters return from last year's club, but the team is rebuilding and that is evident in the six freshmen that are on the 2007-08 roster. Stefon Jackson is clearly the most decorated player on this team and he returns after averaging a team-high 18.6 ppg a year ago. The 6-5 guard also led the club in rebounding (6.4 rpg), as he earned second-team all-league honors as a sophomore. Point guard Marvin Kilgore dolled out a team-high 3.4 apg last season and he will once be responsible for distributing the ball to his teammates. While the perimeter seems to be set with Kilgore and Jackson, the frontcourt is in a bit of disarray. Barbee recruited some players with good height and that should help address the team's concern for a big man, but none of these players have much experience. Wayne Portalatin is a 6-10 freshman that can score and rebound and he may be thrust into the starting lineup due to the lack of talent in the low post.

MARSHALL: The Thundering Herd finished just 13-19 a year ago and because of that the program decided it was time for a change and therefor Donnie Jones was brought in to take over the head coaching duties. Jones spent the last 11 seasons as an assistant at Florida, where he helped the Gators win two straight national championships. While winning an national championship at Marshall is a bit unrealistic, competing for a winning campaign in 2007-08 may not be out of the question. The Herd welcomes back just two starters from a year ago, but they are the team's top two scorers. Markel Humphrey, a 6-5 swingman, led the team in scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg), but he could use some improvement on his three-point shooting. Mark Dorris, a 6-2 guard, ranked second to Humphrey in scoring (13.6 ppg) and he also collected 4.2 rpg. Joining Dorris in the backcourt will be Gonzaga transfer Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes, who will be eligible immediately as a post-graduate transfer rule. Altidor-Cespedes started 48 games in three seasons at Gonzaga and he should make an immediate impact on this team. In the frontcourt, the team will rely on Jean Francois Bro Grebe and Tyler Wilkerson to carry the load. Bo Grebe, a 6-9 forward from the Ivory Coast, played in the African games and the Africa Cup this past summer and that experience should reflect in his play this season. As for Wilkerson (6-8), he played sparingly during his rookie campaign last season, but he did gain some experience playing over in Taiwan this summer as part of the U.S. Athletes in Action team.

SMU: The Mustangs finished just 14-17 overall in Matt Doherty's first season as head coach in 2006-07, but their is high hopes for the future. The Mustangs will have seven newcomers on the roster this season and an incoming class that was highly rated thanks to the relentless recruiting of Doherty. It may take a year or so, however, to get this program into the spotlight, as just two starters are welcomed back from last year's club. The backcourt does have a pair of experienced players though, as John Killen and Derrick Roberts return. Killen averaged 8.0 ppg and a team-high 4.8 apg last season, while Roberts is the team's leading returning scorer with 8.5 ppg. Incoming freshmen Ryan Harp, a three-point specialist, and Bennie Rhodes (6-6) could see some significant playing time at the perimeter as well. In the frontcourt, Bamba Fall is the only player welcomed back with an significant experience. The 7-1 Fall is an elite shot blocker (62 last season), but he needs to improve on his offensive skills, averaging just 7.1 ppg a year ago. Papa Dia (6-9) and Poland native Tomasz Kwiatkowski (7-1) are two highly touted freshmen and they could jump right into a starting role considering the Mustangs' needs for a frontcourt presence.

EAST CAROLINA: The Pirates went just 14-44 in two years under head coach Ricky Stokes and that was just about all the program could handle. Following a dismal 1-15 showing in league play last season, ECU decided it was time for a change and Mack McCarthy was promoted from his assistant job. McCarthy inherits a team that returns four of its top five scorers, but there is still a lot of work to be done if ECU is to compete for its first winning season in 10 years. Guard Darrell Jenkins was one of the few bright spots for the Pirates last year, as he set the single-season school record for assists with 166. He also led the team in scoring (12.3 ppg), although he shot only 37.3 percent from the floor. Forward John Fields is another interesting player, as the 6-9 sophomore averaged 9.5 ppg and 5.9 rpg during his rookie campaign. Fellow sophomore forward Gabe Blair snared a team-best 7.0 rpg a year ago and he will look to improve on his offensive skills this year. Last season, the Pirates ranked last in the league in scoring (59.3 ppg) and second to last in field goal percentage (.397), so they have no place to go but up.

RICE: The Owls went an even 16-16 overall and 8-8 in league play last season and matching those results will be extremely difficult this time around. The team lost its top two scorers from a year ago, including C-USA Player of the Year Morris Almond, who averaged a healthy 26.4 ppg. Head coach Willis Wilson interviewed at Hawaii and Denver in the offseason, but came back for his 16th year at Rice and he will have to start from scratch, essentially. Guard Cory Pflieger is the team's top returning scorer, but he only averaged 6.3 ppg a year ago. Forwards Paulis Packevicius (4.1 rpg) and Patrick Britton (4.0 rpg) are the team's top returning rebounders and they will be counted on for a little more scoring this season. Center Matt Hagen (6-10, 240) missed the final 26 games of last season with a knee injury and his return to the lineup gives the Owls a big body in the low post. To make matters worse for Rice this season, it won't have a "true" home due to massive renovations being done on Autry Court.