NCAA Basketball: Predicted Winners of last 17 Conference Tournaments of 2023-24
By Bryan Mauro
Conference USA
Dates: March 12th-16th
Location: VBC Probst Arena in Huntsville, AL
Top Seed: Sam Houston State Bearkats
Winner: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
This may finally be the year for the Bulldogs and all it took was a revamped roster and a revamped league. Louisiana Tech was able to secure a huge win in the transfer portal with former Texas Tech big man Daniel Batcho and when he is paired with likely Conference USA Player of the Year Isaiah Crawford, they form an almost unstoppable duo in the Conference USA. Louisiana Tech leads the Conference USA in defense, and they are one of the best defensive teams in the country because of their ability to block shots and rebound. They turn almost everyone they play into a jump shooting team which is never going to be good for your efficiency. The Bulldogs are going to grind you on defense and funnel everything to the inside.
On the offensive end, it's more of the same, they will shoot threes and make a good amount of them, but their bread and butter is inside the paint where their two stars can go to work. The Bulldogs are going to give some higher-seeded teams a problem especially if the Bulldogs are allowed to play at their pace.
Sleeper: Liberty Flames
Why Liberty? They have done it before and never count out head coach Richie McKay. The Flames don’t have near the talent they have had in the past, and they are playing in a much tougher league, but they are experienced and know what it takes to win in March. The Flames are another team who dictate the pace, take, and make a ton of threes, and play lockdown defense. They are also very hard to prepare for on short rest. Liberty is a team who could throw a wrench in this bracket and find themselves in the NCAA tournament again.