Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Conference purgatory – worst programs in each league

By Matthew Winick

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach Dave Leitao of the DePaul Blue Demons looks on during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on February 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach Dave Leitao of the DePaul Blue Demons looks on during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on February 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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BLACKSBURG, VA – DECEMBER 01: Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA – DECEMBER 01: Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images) /

Cal Poly Mustangs, Big West Conference

The Mustangs have only had three winning seasons in-conference since 1996, their first year in the Big West. Year one of the John Smith era was no different. Much like the generic name of their coach, the 2019 iteration of Cal Poly was simply below average. They didn’t get blown out too frequently in conference play and had four games head to overtime, including a torturous quadruple-overtime loss at the hands of Cal State Fullerton.

In terms of individual talent, they aren’t loaded, with only one player averaging double-figures on the season. Cal Poly has struggled to recruit strong talent to the program ever since David Nwaba made it to the NBA, and unless Coach Smith can recruit talent to beautiful San Luis Obispo, the streak may continue for the mustangs.

Central Connecticut State Blue Devils, Northeast Conference

With a former NBA player behind the bench in Coach Donyell Marshall, one would hope that Central Connecticut State would bring in talent to compete in the Northeast Conference. However, in the four-year Marshall era, as well as the two years previous, they have finished near the cellar of their league. Not since the 2011-2012 season have the other  Blue Devils finished above .500 in conference, including a dismal 4-27 (3-15) year this past season.

With all of that being said, the team was extremely young and inexperienced this season. They only brought back 40% of their scoring from the year prior, and three of their four most played individuals were freshmen. For CCSU, they hope that having the young guys thrown into the fire early could reap benefits down the road, but fans have to wonder how much longer Marshall’s leash is should the Blue Devils not climb from the bottom of the Northeast next season.

Chicago State Cougars, Western Athletic Conference

For some, it might be shocking that Chicago State has only finished in the bottom-three for six consecutive years. They have been the model for basement-dwelling over the past few seasons, and that’s an understatement. 2014-2015 was their first year of this streak, where they finished 4-10 in the WAC, a tie for last place that season. In the five years since their conference record is an astonishing 2-70. In the past two seasons, the first two of Coach Lance Irvin’s tenure, they have won two combined D-1 games, neither of which came in-conference.

To be fair, a quick look at this year’s roster confirmed they weren’t in for much success this season.  After the previous year’s second-leading scorer Christian Jacob left the team after just two games, the entire Cougars roster had only two players with D-1 experience, averaging a combined 2.1 points in their careers. With a roster almost entirely comprised of JUCO transfers and freshmen, they simply had no experience to compete with D-1 outfits.

Chicago State brought in Coach Irvin due to his knowledge of the Chicago area, in hopes of bringing in local recruits. However, only one Chicago native scored a bucket last year (Michael Johnson), and he has put his name in the transfer portal. Simply said, if Chicago State can’t get recruits from their own backyard, it may be a long, long while until they can break out from the bottom of the WAC.

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