Toyminator's 2003-2004 Conference USA Preview

Marquette's Final Four run provided Conference USA with some needed exposure and credibility. The past few years haven't been that memorable, but the site of Dywane Wade taking down a tough, yet overated Kentucky team was something that fans won't soon forget. In additon to the rise of Marquette, two other storied programs have returned to the national scene as well. Under the guidance of Rick Pitino and John Calipari respectively, Louisville and Memphis both garnered invitations to the NCAA Tournament. In fact, the Cardinals were as high as #2 in the polls, before having to deal with injuries and other issues. Of course, the second this conference is starting to rejuvenate, there is talk of the Big East raiding it to prevent it from falling into oblivion. Damn football!

Interesting enough, the team that was most disappointing last season should be this year's strongest team. Cincinnati endured through one of its worst seasons in recent memory and Coach Huggins wasn't happy about it. With one of the strongest recruiting classes in the country, including NBA prospects James White and Robert Whaley, the Bearcats will once again be able to score some points and not solely rely on their stingy defense. The rest of the teams in the upper half of the division are very strong. Besides Louisville, Memphis & Marquette fielding competitive teams once again, keep an eye on Charlotte and UAB. Both teams are led by undersized, yet unsung scoring point guards in Demon Brown and Morris Finley. With both programs attracting a number of talented newcomers, the race for CUSA's one division title may get a little tighter than most people think!

ON THE RISE: UAB
This is a first....last season's team in decline becomes this season's team on the rise. Take this gem from yours truly "It will take awhile for him [Coach Anderson] to get enough quality recruits in this program before it turns the corner and can compete again in this conference!". When I said "awhile", I really meant a year...tops! Seriously though, first year coach Mike Anderson did an amazing job getting his players to play with passion and purpose, something that's been missing for years. By signing a number of top juco's to fill in the holes, this team shouldn't miss a beat and could be a real sleeper this season!

IN DECLINE: South Florida
Coach Seth Greenburg tried desparately to lift this program up to a point where they can compete year after year. He was able to attract some quality players and even had them knocking on the NCAA door a few times. Well, those players are history and coach saw the writing on the wall. Thus, he skipped town, leaving new coach Robert McCullum with little to build upon. Add in the fact the Bulls now have to contend with more than just Memphis, and it's obvious that their best days are behind them!

1. CINCINNATI

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Good frontcourt. Limit their turnovers. Very quick & athletic team. Lots of depth.
Weakness: Poor shooting team. Questionable PG.
Outlook: Critics of this program were in heaven last season, as the Bearcats suffered through one of their worst seasons in years (yet they still won 17 games). Well, things will be back to normal this season as a group of talented newcomers will return this program back to the top of Conference USA where it belongs!

2. MARQUETTE

Strengths: Excellent shooting team, especially from 3-pt & FT line. Good team defense. Big frontcourt that rebounds well. Good ball handling & distribution.
Weakness: Play very passive defense - don't force many turnovers. Loss of Jackson inside & Wade everywhere.
Outlook: Coach Crean did a masterful job last season in taking this team to the Final Four. A big part of that team is gone, but enough quality players remain to make another run at the conference title. A return trip to the Final Four? No, but this program has turned the corner and it won't be another 25 years between appearances!

3. LOUISVILLE

Strengths: Potent offense that shoots the ball very well. Aggressive team defense that forces many turnovers. Deep bench.
Weakness: Backcourt is thin & suspect, especially at PG.
Outlook: Coach Pitino has quickly lifted this program up to where it belongs, but now comes the hard part...making them a threat to win it all year after year. This year's squad has an equal amount of talent, but the departure of Reece Gaines has left a big hole at PG. Another NCAA Tournament bid is likely, but don't expect much noise once they get there.

4. CHARLOTTE

Strengths: Good frontcourt - can score and rebound well. Deep backcourt. Plenty of talent. Force many turnovers.
Weakness: Poor shooting team. Need to improve perimeter defense. Road woes.
Outlook: The move to one conference helps the 49ers the most as they're better than anything in the west and would have been picked here regardless. Despite that, most will overlook this team. That would be a mistake! If this talented group of players gets it together, they could make a run at the conference title.

5. MEMPHIS

Strengths: Solid, deep backcourt. Good rebounding team. Good ball handling & distribution. Excellent team defense.
Weakness: Unproven frontcourt - expect little inside scoring. Poor shooting team, especially FT shooting.
Outlook: Coach Cal may have finally rediscovered what it takes to make it to the Big Show...stop recruiting primadonnas and get some team players in here! Despite the lack of an inside presence, this team will scrap it's way on to the bubble once again.

6. UAB

Strengths: Potent offense. Aggressive team defense that forces many turnovers. Good depth.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Commit too many turnovers.
Outlook: First year coach Mike Anderson should be lauded for getting 21 wins out of this squad last season. With even more talent around, expect similar results.

7. DEPAUL

Strengths: Excellent frontcourt - good inside scoring & rebounding. Solid team defense. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Poor ball handling & distribution. Poor 3-pt shooting team. Inexperienced bench.
Outlook: Wow! It's amazing what a real coach can do with this program, despite having less talent than either Joey Meyer or Pat Kennedy was used to having! There's a good mix of young talent & experience here, so another trip to the NIT should be expected.

8. ST. LOUIS

Strengths: Deep, solid backcourt. Strong team defense. Limit their turnovers.
Weakness: Struggle offensively. Weak frontcourt. Poor rebounding team. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: The Billikins always struggle for most of the season, then use a late run to shake things up in the conference. There's enough quality players to make them competitive, but without a true leader to carry them this season, they may fizzle out this time.

9. SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

Strengths: Solid frontcourt that can score & rebound. Lots of experience.
Weakness: Horrible shooting team, especially from behind the arc. Too many turnovers. Must improve defensively.
Outlook: The frontline of Gaines, Johnson & Johnson aren't the most intimidating bunch, but they get the job done both inside & out. If the backcourt can get them the ball instead of passing to the opponents, this team may be halfway decent.

10. SOUTH FLORIDA

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Quick, athletic team. Good depth & experience.
Weakness: Commit too many turnovers. Horrible FT shooting team. Questionable outside shooting.
Outlook: This program was once promising with players like B.B. Waldon & Altron Jackson led by Coach Seth Greenburg. All have departed, and so has any shot of reaching the upper echelon of this conference.

11. HOUSTON

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Good team quickness.
Weakness: Pitiful offense. Poor shooting team. No true PG - way too many turnovers. Weak frontcourt.
Outlook: Once again, this team will be void of anyone who knows how to run the point. Andre Owens may play a PG on the court, but in real life he's just another wing, of which the Cougars have an abundance of! Throw in a pitiful frontcourt, and this season will not be pretty (again)!

12. EAST CAROLINA

Strengths: Decent team defense. Good rebounding team. Lots of experience.
Weakness: Poor shooting team, especially from 3-pt. Weak on offense. Commit too many turnovers.
Outlook: Do the kids at this school ever graduate? It seems like most of these players (Bing & Mikulas especially) have been playing together forever! Well, you would think they would improve as a team by now...oops, guess not! Time for some new blood.

13. TULANE

Strengths: Good shooting team. Decent team defense.
Weakness: Very little left from last season - very inexperienced & many unknowns. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: The Green Wave was very senior-laden last season, so this year's squad with be quite a challenge for Coach Finney. Luckily, expectations won't be high, so failure won't hurt as much.

14. TCU

Strengths: Decent backcourt.
Weakness: Horrible team defense. Weak, inexperienced frontcout that will get hammered. Commit way too many turnovers.
Outlook: It would be hard to find a team that plays worse defense than this squad did last season. Even with some talented offensive players, the Horny Toads couldn't get out of last place in that pitiful division. Not a good start for Coach Dougherty, who may be on the outs quicker than expected!

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Last updated on 10/20/03 by toyminator@prodigy.net