Conference USA
Only two teams finished with a record better than 8-8 in conference play last season. This was a conference in which home-court advantage was critical, as teams went 64-50-1 against the spread in true home games.
The range of teams in the conference is vast as Florida International ranked second in America in turnovers forced on a per possession basis in road games last season, but the team finished last in the conference thanks to being the worst team in the country in opponent 3-point shooting percentage (40.3%). The Panthers were also 361st in rebound rate.
Liberty was a powerhouse in the Atlantic Sun with a 65-14 record in conference play in five seasons before a 7-9 record in Conference USA play last season. The Flames have a tried-and-true style, ranking 302nd or slower in possessions per game in nine straight seasons.
The conference’s NCAA Tournament representative from last season, Western Kentucky, saw coach Steve Lutz leave for the Oklahoma State job. Assistant Hank Plona now takes over a program that ranked third in possessions per game, but he brings back the leader in points and assists in Dom McHenry. He also added a slew of transfers to team up with a bench of players that were on a team that was third in the nation in possessions per game last season.
Every team in the conference was outside the top 80 in 3-point shooting percentage with only two teams ranking outside the top 300 in points scored on a per possession basis.
Sam Houston State, which finished first in the regular season with a mark of 13-3 in Conference USA play, brings back four of last season’s top five scorers and has won at least 10 conference games and 18 games overall in each of the past 11 seasons.
UTEP loses its top two scorers from a program that led the country in turnovers forced per possession last season, generating a turnover on 25.4% of defensive possessions. The team looks to Tarleton State transfer Devin Barnes to elevate the team’s 3-point shooting after he notched 13.0 points, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 39.7% 3-point shooting while playing in a similar system last season.
