Conference USA Basketball: 2022 conference tournament preview

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 19: The North Texas Mean Green celebrate after beating the Purdue Boilermakers 78-69 in overtime in the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 19, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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Conference USA Basketball Grant McCasland North Texas Mean Green JJ Murray (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

Conference USA Basketball has made a noticeable impact in recent years of the NCAA Tournament. The team that gets through the conference tournament is typically the sole representative for the league in the Big Dance.

This year’s C-USA Tournament will see 14 teams competing for an NCAA Tournament berth at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. The tournament begins on March 8 and will conclude at 7:30 pm on March 12, with CBS Sports Network airing the championship game.

The North Texas Mean Green and Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders separated themselves from the conference pack early on. Before any other seeding spots were finalized, North Texas nabbed the top spot in the West, while Middle Tennessee took the top spot in the East.

North Texas, of course, was the conference’s champion last year, defeating Middle Tennessee among others en route to the championship. Then, the Mean Green knocked off current national title contender Purdue in the First Round before losing to Villanova in the Second Round.

Being the defending champion makes North Texas a favorite this week, but there are plenty of contenders beyond Middle Tennessee. UAB and Louisiana Tech are both 20-win teams. Western Kentucky isn’t far behind.

Last year’s title game involved a tight 61-57 win for North Texas over Western Kentucky in a defensive clash that required an overtime period. What will this year’s conference tournament bring?

Let’s start by taking a look at the players who will decide which team cuts down the nets in Frisco at the end of the week.