Conference USA Basketball: Wild conference tournament approaches

SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 16: C.J. Burks #14 and Jon Elmore #33 of the Marshall Thundering Herd celebrate after defeating the Wichita State Shockers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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11 of the 12 teams in CUSA basketball finished within three games of each other. To say anyone can win this tournament is an understatement.

There has been a lot of talk all season about how down leagues like the Pac-12, Big East, and Atlantic 10 have been, for good reason. But if you’re looking for a league that is competitive from top to bottom and any number of teams could make a run in the conference tournament, look no further than Conference USA.

In the 14-team league, the top 12 teams qualify for the tournament, and aside from No. 1 seed Old Dominion, who won the regular-season title by two games, teams seeded No. 2 through No. 12 finished within three games of each other. Nearly the entire seeding process came down to the final day of the regular season, making for a competitive year. This season, Conference USA implemented a new scheduling strategy, in that after the first seven weeks of the season the teams would be placed in three groups based on the standings, and play their final four games of the season within that group. The hope is making the end of the year more exciting and raising the conference’s portfolio in the eyes of the selection committee.

Well, they certainly achieved the first part, but the second remains to be seen. Another scenario the new scheduling may have created is a tiebreaking headache for the league office, but with teams bunched so tightly together, it could certainly make for an exciting tournament to watch, from start to finish. Here’s a look at what to watch for while watching the Conference USA Conference Tournament.