Conference USA Basketball is in the middle of the conference slate. Here’s where each team stands in early February.
Team | NETÂ | KenPom | Record |
Charlotte | 106 | 119 | 13-10 (4-8) |
FAU | 18 | 34 | 22-2 (12-1) |
FIU | 206 | 211 | 12-12 (6-7) |
LA Tech | 143 | 141 | 13-10 (6-6) |
MTSU | 109 | 120 | 15-9 (8-5) |
North Texas | 57 | 64 | 19-5 (10-3) |
Rice | 152 | 169 | 15-8 (6-6) |
UAB | 72 | 71 | 17-7 (8-5) |
UTEP | 174 | 175 | 11-12 (4-8) |
UTSA | 318 | 317 | 7-18 (1-13) |
WKU | 177 | 168 | 13-11 (5-8) |
Kenpom, NET, and standings reflect games as of 2/6/2023
Key Storylines
FAU mortal
Florida Atlantic suffered its first and only Conference USA loss this past week to UAB. Not only did it knock the Owls from their unbeaten perch in league play, but they dropped from the AP Top 25 as well and saw their possible NCAA Tournament at-large opportunities take a sizable dent in the process. The Owls are by no means out of the driver’s seat in the league, but they’re no longer untouchable.
Just add Jelly
UAB started slowly in conference play and looked mediocre at times in games without their star Jordan “Jelly” Walker on the court. But he returned against Florida Atlantic, paving the way for the Blazers’ upset of the Owls and subsequent win over FIU two days later. UAB is a different team with him on the court and one that will pose a threat to all comers down the stretch.
Separation starting at the top?
UAB’s big weekend elevated the Blazers to 8-5 in conference play, tied for third in the standings with Middle Tennessee. North Texas (10-3) and FAU (12-1) sit above them, but there’s a multi-win gap between that top four and the rest of the conference. Rice and Louisiana Tech are both at .500, but they each still have multiple games remaining against FAU. After a muddled midseason, an upper-tier may be starting to emerge.