Conference USA Basketball nearing the halfway point of league play. What have we learned so far and where does each team stack up against the rest?
Team | NETÂ | KenPom | Record |
Charlotte | 162 | 209 | 10-7 (3-2) |
FAU | 136 | 147 | 11-8 (4-2) |
FIU | 236 | 245 | 12-7 (2-4) |
LA Tech | 85 | 85 | 15-4 (6-1) |
Marshall | 246 | 222 | 7-12 (0-6) |
MTSU | 118 | 141 | 12-6 (3-2) |
North Texas | 55 | 67 | 13-4 (6-1) |
Old Dominion | 221 | 203 | 7-11 (2-3) |
Rice | 164 | 180 | 11-7 (4-3) |
Southern Miss | 325 | 317 | 6-12 (1-4) |
UAB | 37 | 41 | 16-4 (6-1) |
UTEP | 185 | 182 | 11-8 (4-3) |
UTSA | 339 | 326 | 7-13 (0-7) |
WKU | 139 | 121 | 10-9 (2-4) |
Kenpom rankings and standings as of 1/23/2022
Key Storylines
Wild, Wild West
The race for the top of the West Division got much more interesting this weekend when UAB went into Ruston and walked away with a relatively comfortable road win over Louisiana Tech. That leaves UAB, Louisiana Tech and North Texas tied atop the West with 6-1 conference records. Rice and UTEP, both 4-3, remain within striking distance.
Owls on the move
Florida Atlantic has won three in a row, completing a perfect three-game homestand against Charlotte, WKU and Marshall. The Owls began conference play 1-2 and fell near the bottom of the standings. Now they sit alone in first place atop the division. Their namesake counterparts, Rice, posted an emphatic win of their own over the weekend, finishing their game against Old Dominion on a 16-0 run.
Toppers in a tailspin?
Western Kentucky was expected to be among the best teams in Conference USA entering the season. They didn’t receive any first-place votes, but they were a clear No. 3 choice in the conference’s preseason poll. There wasn’t reason to panic after a narrow loss to Louisiana Tech on the road to start conference play, but their recent three-game has to at least raise some concern. They host UAB and Middle Tennessee next week. Getting a split would, at the very least, ease some anxiety.