Toyminator's 1999 Conference USA Preview

Conference USA is the tale of two divisions. The American division is loaded with quality teams, some of which may have dissappointing seasons because of this, while the National division is struggling to provide a team that can challenge any of them. It's similar to what's happening in the NBA with the West having far superior teams & talent than the East. Once again, Cincinnati will be the class of the league and one of the top teams in the nation. The once deceased program at DePaul has found life again and boasts one of the top players in the country in Quentin Richardson. Louisville, Marquette, UNC-Charlotte & St. Louis should all be solid teams and anyone one of them would probably capture the National division title if they played there. The only hope for the National division is a talented, yet young team from South Florida. The remaining teams need some help and will probably be sitting at home in March.

The conference is also addressing the issue of expansion. SMU and TCU are two of the programs being mentioned as possible candidates. In my opinion, this would be a mistake! You only need to look at the former WAC conference for proof that large conferences with schools spread out all over the place are doomed to fail. Reportedly, this would help strengthen its football presence, but that's BS. This conference was made solely for basketball and should keep to its roots. And last time I checked, SMU & TCU weren't tearing up the gridiron. This conference (and its former incarnations) has an excellent basketball history and needs to help resurrect once proud programs in Louisville, Houston and Memphis before bringing in more deadwood. Hopefully, intelligence will win out on this issue, but that remains to be seen.

ON THE RISE: DePaul
Even though I've always questioned Pat Kennedy's coaching ability, he's always been able to land talented players (The John Cooper of College Hoops, you might say!). Last year's freshman class was quite exceptional, producing a POY candidiate in Quentin Richardson and two future NBA Draft picks in Lance Williams & Bobby Simmons. Those 3 are good enough to get the Blue Demons back into the NCAA Tournament after a long absence. Add in a solid recruiting class this season, and the future finally looks bright in Chicago.

IN DECLINE: UAB
Usually a given to challenge for the division title, the Blazers may end up in the basement this year. A decent backcourt may prevent that, but they lost their entire frontcount and have little to replace them with. UAB's hopes rest on an undersized, JUCO power forward to provide inside scoring and rebounding. Things don't look better in the near future, as their backcourt will graduate after this season. Coach Bartow's mettle will be tested in trying to rebuild this program.

1. CINCINNATI

Strengths: Solid defense that forces many turnovers. Exceptional froncourt, who can score & rebound with anyone. Good shooting team.
Weakness: Very inexperienced backcourt. 3-pt shooting is iffy.
Outlook: Bearcats have good combination of experience & youth. We know how good the returnees are, so how good this team will be depends on their stellar recruiting class.

2. DEPAUL

Strengths: Solid offensively. Good rebounding team. Terrific trio in Richardson, Williams & Simmons.
Weakness: PG - needs to handle and distribute the ball better. Suspect team defense.
Outlook: Took a good first step to recovery last season (NIT) and should take the next step this season (guess!).

3. LOUISVILLE

Strengths: Good shooting team. Balanced offense. Force many turnovers.
Weakness: Questionable PG. Poor rebounding team that gets bounced around a lot. Inexperienced bench.
Outlook: If a PG can be found, Cards have enough to possibly squeek into the NCAA Tournament.

4. UNC-CHARLOTTE

Strengths: Solid, deep backcourt that takes care of the ball and can hit the "3".
Weakness: Inexperienced frontcourt. Lack of scorers. Rebounding is questionable.
Outlook: Backcourt is solid, so young frontcourt must produce to be competitive. Loss of Hayward may inspire them to overachieve.

5. MARQUETTE

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Good rebounding team. Good 3-pt shooting team.
Weakness: Poor shooting team. Limited offense. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: Until this team puts the ball in the basket, it will continue to wade in the pool of mediocrity.

6. ST. LOUIS

Strengths: Decent shooting team. Good team defense that forces many turnovers.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Little inside scoring. Lack of true PG.
Outlook: Romar is a good choice to lead this team into upper echelon of conference, but he will need time.

1. SOUTH FLORIDA

Strengths: Young, talented, athletic group of players. Good depth, especially on wings. Force many turnovers.
Weakness: Horrible FT & 3-pt shooting team. PG - needs to handle and distribute the ball better.
Outlook: Johnson's return will create more opportunities for the emerging Waldon. Looks like the best team in a weak division.

2. HOUSTON

Strengths: Gervin/Younger combination. Good depth in backcourt.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Too many turnovers. Little depth in frontcourt.
Outlook: Team can score, but has trouble stopping anyone. Smith & Williams need to make impact, otherwise they won't end up this high.

3. MEMPHIS

Strengths: Big, deep frontcourt. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Lousy PG, with nobody to back him up. Poor rebounding team. Shaky outside shooting.
Outlook: Loss of Snap killed any hopes of a division title. NIT might be the best the Tigers do this season.

4. UAB

Strengths: Good shooting team. Good perimeter defense. Decent backcourt.
Weakness: Many new faces! Poor rebounding team. Little inside scoring.
Outlook: Major rebuilding year. Backcourt will win a few games, but the frontcourt needs some time to develop.

5. TULANE

Strengths: Decent frontline. Limit their turnovers. Good experience.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Poor FT shooting team. Need to improve their rebounding.
Outlook: Loss of the egocentric Mouton should build better team chemistry. Slowly improving and may surprise.

6. SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

Strengths: Decent team defense. Good FT shooting team. Good experience.
Weakness: Just can't shoot the ball! Inept backcourt. Poor rebounding team.
Outlook: Newcomers better be something because what's back is nothing special! It could get ugly in Hattiesburg.

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Last updated on 9/19/99 by toyminator@prodigy.net