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Conference USA Basketball: 2021 conference tournament preview, predictions

By Matt Melton

NORFOLK, VA - MARCH 06 : Conference USA logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and the Old Dominion Monarchs at the Ted Constant Convocation Center on March 6, 2019 in Norfolk, Virginia. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NORFOLK, VA - MARCH 06 : Conference USA logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and the Old Dominion Monarchs at the Ted Constant Convocation Center on March 6, 2019 in Norfolk, Virginia. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Conference USA Basketball Isaiah Crawford Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Conference USA Basketball Isaiah Crawford Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Teams to Watch

There are many teams capable of winning the Conference-USA Tournament. Let’s look at a few teams in particular that could come out on top.

The Favorite – Western Kentucky

The Hilltoppers finished the regular season at 18-6 overall, as well as 1st in the C-USA East at 11-3. Western Kentucky has all the talent needed to win this tournament headlined by Charles Bassey, as well as seniors Taveion Hollingsworth and Josh Anderson.

Biggest Threat to Favorite – Louisiana Tech

You could make the argument that Louisiana Tech is the best team in Conference-USA. The Bulldogs finished the regular season on a five-game winning streak to now sit at 20-6 overall, and 1st in the C-USA West at 12-4. Louisiana Tech played Western Kentucky twice early on in conference play, where the Bulldogs and Hilltoppers split the season series 1-1, both of which were road games for Louisiana Tech.

Team To Keep an Eye On – UAB 

If there is a team outside of the previous two that wouldn’t surprise anyone if they won the Conference-USA Tournament, it’s UAB. The Blazers finished the regular season 21-6 overall and 2nd in the C-USA West at 13-5. The Blazers won’t blow you away offensively only averaging 73 PPG as a team but do display a defense that ranks 55th in the country.

Sleeper – Marshall

In a conference that has multiple teams capable of winning this tournament, Marshall may be the team among those that get mentioned least. The Thundering Herd finished 15-6 overall, 3rd in the C-USA East at 9-5, and have one of the better players in Conference-USA in Taevion Kinsey. Marshall can score with anyone, averaging 80.5 PPG as a team, and could just be the sleeper pick to win the Conference-USA Tournament.