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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Souley Boum UTEP Miners (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /

Key teams

Team to Beat: North Texas

The defending conference tournament champions have left little doubt about their status as the team to beat in Conference USA all year long. The team has lost just once all season long, a home defeat at the hands of the UAB Blazers, before succumbing to UTEP on the last day of the regular season. The Mean Green was riding a 16-game winning streak prior to the loss. Good luck further slowing that momentum.

Top Contender: UAB

UAB has the displeasure of being in the same division as North Texas, but that doesn’t make them any less a threat to take the conference tournament. As established, the Blazers are one of only two teams to beat North Texas all year. UAB also blew out the Blue Raiders earlier in the year. Both teams are worthy adversaries for the Mean Green, but UAB looks slightly meaner.

Top Sleeper: UTEP

The UTEP Miners are a middle-of-the-pack team by Conference USA standards. The team went 11-7 in conference play, including a road win at Louisiana Tech. They hadn’t really beaten any of the other top teams in the league prior to the upset of North Teas. They have the conference’s best scorer in junior guard Souley Boum, averaging 19.8 points per game. His ability to score will keep the Miners plugging along in close games.