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Conference USA Baseball: 2021 Regional Roundup

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Conference USA Baseball sent four teams to NCAA Regionals. Several made deep runs, but none were able to advance to the next round of postseason play.

Columbia Regional

Old Dominion hung in until the final out, literally. The Monarchs opened their postseason with wins over Jacksonville and South Carolina, earning themselves a spot in the winner’s bracket as the remaining teams fought for redemption. Virginia made it out of the fray and ambushed Old Dominion early in their first meeting, winning 8-3. That set up a winner-take-all contest which was delayed to Tuesday because of weather in the region.

The teams traded leads in the late innings in the finale. All six runs scored in regulation were scored from the sixth inning on. Try as they might, Old Dominion couldn’t push in the final run before the game was ended in the 10th with a walk off home run from the Hoos’ Devin Ortiz.

Ruston Regional

The only Conference USA school to host in its own ballpark, Louisiana Tech (1-2) did not get the result it wanted. The Bulldogs opened with an 18-2 rout against Rider, a game that they led 9-2 entering the eighth inning before doubling their run total that frame. NC State would get the best of them in the next game, though, silencing the Tech offense in an 8-3 win.

Forced to contend through the loser’s bracket, Louisiana Tech edged Alabama 10-8 but dropped a one-sided affair to NC State, this time falling 14-7.

Oxford Regional

Southern Miss (3-2) came extremely close to making it through the loser’s bracket in a loaded quarter in Oxford. The Golde Eagles were sent to the long road with an opening loss to Florida State and quickly rebounded with a 21-0 thrashing of Southeast Missouri State.

A Will McGillis home run lifted them past Florida State in a rematch, pitting them against regional host Ole Miss as the last two teams standing. Southern Miss won the first game 10-7 to force a winner-take-all finale. Ole Miss struck first in that one, taking a commanding 9-0 lead after two innings and holding on to eliminate Southern Miss.

Greenville Regional

Charlotte (1-2) got off to a hot start in their opening game against Maryland. After falling behind 1-0 in the second, the 49ers scored in each of the next six innings including a five-run fourth and a three-run sixth to outgun the Terps 13-10. A loss to eventual regional champion East Carolina in their second game sent them to the losers bracket, where they dropped a nail-biting 2-1 decision to Maryland and were eliminated.

Head coach Robert Woodward was somber, but thankful after the loss. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud to be affiliated with a baseball team than this one,” he said. “I’m so thankful for this group of players, coaching staff, support staff and administration for everything that everyone has put in to get us to this point. We certainly hate the outcome. Our players got our program to a place it hadn’t been in 10 years. Our guys absolutely laid it on the line from the first pitch against Morehead State to the last pitch here today against Maryland. I’m just so proud of these guys.”

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Conference USA Football: Unpacking the Transfer Portal in 2021

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Each Conference USA Football program has approached the Transfer Portal in different ways. Here’s the latest snapshot following the 2021 class.

The Transfer Portal never had anything near the level of discretion that might have been intended when it was launched a few short years ago. Players that enter and exit the portal are tracked publicly, with sites like 247 Sports and Rivals keeping tabs on their movements.

With data on the 2021 cycle nearly complete and offseason programs approaching, now seemed like an appropriate time to take stock of that latest from Conference USA football programs and the Transfer Portal.

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Conference USA Baseball Tournament 2021 Preview, schedule, how to watch

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The Conference USA Baseball Tournament is headed to Ruston, Louisiana. Here’s how to watch and what to be looking for this week.

It took every weekend of the regular season to solidify the eight-team field that will hit the diamond for a busy week of Conference USA Baseball Tournament action. Multiple nationally ranked teams will jockey for postseason position while others hope to play spoiler and punch an at-large bid for their shot at the College World Series.

All games will be streamed on ESPN+ with the exception of the tournament championship, available on CBS Sports Network. The tournament runs from Wednesday, May 26 to Sunday, May 30. The full schedule and updated bracket are available on the Conference USA Baseball Tournament website.

Assessing the field

The favorites | Four teams separated themselves from the rest of the conference during the regular season. Charlotte enters as the No. 1 seed, but Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss and Old Dominion were just two games behind them in the win column this year. All four have spent at least a portion of the season ranked inside the Top 25.

The darkhorse | Pitching is the backbone for a postseason run. Middle Tennessee was the last team to make the field, but the Blue Raiders own the second-best team ERA in the conference. If the offense can do just enough in key moments, MTSU could make things interesting.

The wild card | UTSA is going to try and win every game they play 15-11. That’s a hard feat to replicate in a tournament setting where every game counts, but if the stars align, they could put one of the favorites into a perilous position.

The bracket

Game 1 – 9:00 AM | (4) Old Dominion vs (5) Florida Atlantic

How they got here | Old Dominion leveraged a white-hot start to conference play to lock up their spot in the tournament. After dropping their C-USA opener, the Monarchs won 10 in a row to pull ahead of the pack. Florida Atlantic rallied late, winning three of their final four series to clinch a spot.

The matchup | These teams met in a four-game series in mid-April with Old Dominion winning three of four in rather resounding fashion, outscoring FAU 25-11.

Game 2 – 12:30 PM | (1) Charlotte vs (8) Middle Tennessee

How they got here | Charlotte was the runaway leader in Conference USA this season, losing just one conference series all year. Middle Tennessee snuck in on the final weekend with a series split against an FIU team that did not make the tournament.

The matchup | Although MTSU plays in the East Division in other sports, they’re a West Division team for baseball and did not cross over to play Charlotte this season. This will be the first matchup between these two clubs this year.

Game 3 – 4:00 PM | (2) Louisiana Tech vs (7) UTSA

How they get here | Louisana Tech ruffled some feathers along the way, posting wins over Top 25 Arkansas and Ole Miss before they got into the thick of conference play. The host of this year’s tournament, the Bulldogs are 19-8 at home this season. UTSA’s success came in waves, with just one series win over another C-USA Tournament team.

The matchup | This is a rematch of the final weekend of the regular season. UTSA took the series opener on Friday before Louisiana Tech came roaring back to beat UTSA in three straight games, including a decisive 17-7 victory in the finale.

Game 4 – 7:30 PM | (3) Southern Miss vs (6) WKU

How they get here | Southern Miss lost back-to-back conference games just twice all season long and only once did the same opponent get the better of them in consecutive games. Western Kentucky’s ride was a bit more choppy, including losses in the final series of the regular season.

The matchup | Southern Miss took three of four from Western Kentucky at Pete Taylor Park earlier this season, with all three wins coming by three of fewer runs. WKU won 9-4 in the final game of that four-game set.

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Rice Basketball 2021: Owls close strong, advance past Southern Miss

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Rice basketball picked up its first Conference USA Tournament win under head coach Scott Pera, beating Southern Miss in a defensive struggle.

The beginnings of the only game of the preliminary round of the Conference USA Tournament didn’t look like most of the other games Rice basketball has played this season. The Owls made just one three-point attempt in the first half and newly minted C-USA Newcomer of the Year Travis Evee had no points.

Yet Rice still led.

“I know we shoot a lot of three,” head coach Scott Pera remarked following the win, “but we gotta get past that. We gotta defend every night for 40 minutes, because we’re not always going to shoot it great.”

Winning when the shots don’t fall has been a struggle for this team. So to see Rice start uncharacteristically cold, but take a 27-20 edge at the break was noteworthy. Southern Miss shot 32 percent from the field in the first half, with only 10 of their 20 points coming from outside the paint.

The Golden Eagles would adjust and punch back, reclaiming the lead early on in the second half and holding in for more than 10 minutes. But when Ege Havsa hit a crucial three to give Rice the lead with 4:28 to go, the Owls never looked back.

Read More: Rice Football spring practice notebook – Week 1

Rice would close the game on a 16-3 run. The shots started to fall, but it was the same defense that gave Southern Miss fits early that put the game away. In Pera’s own estimation, the Owls “were locked in defensively from the very first possession to the final buzzer.” And it showed.

Southern Miss did not record a field goal in the final six minutes of regulation, something Pera couldn’t recall happening anytime recently in the hundreds of games he’s coached. When that buzzer did sound, Pera and the Owls surpassed an important milestone. The win marked the first C-USA conference tournament of Pera’s tenure, something he called “another barrier we needed to knock down.”

Rice basketball has the chance to turn this small step into a bigger leap on Wednesday night against Marshall. The Owls and Thundering Herd had been previously scheduled to meet this season, but the games were canceled due to COVID-19 issues among the Owls’ program. Rice will be the underdog, but they won’t be deterred.

“It’s a big challenge for us,” Pera said. “But it’s March. We’re still playing and we’re happy and we’re excited.” And, as if to quell any doubts about the team’s ability to rise up once again, Pera was clear. “We’re going to have our work cut out for us,” he said. “We’re going to prepare. Our kids are going to be ready. And we’re going to go out there and let it fly. I know that.”

Rice basketball is scheduled to play Marshall at 6:00 p.m. tomorrow on ESPN+.

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2021 Conference USA Basketball Tournament: Men’s and Women’s Previews

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The 2021 Conference USA Basketball Tournament tips off in Frisco, TX on Monday. Here’s a preview of the action.

Conference USA Basketball – Men’s Tournament

The Favorite: Western Kentucky

The No. 1 seed for a reason, Western Kentucky is the clear favorite to cut down the nets. Charles Bassey will be the best player on the court whenever the Tops play and the supporting cast is equally as impressive and experienced.

The Contender: Louisiana Tech

Although they received less fanfare than Western Kentucky along the way, Louisiana Tech won a divisional title as well. Kenneth Lofton and Isaiah Crawford, both of whom somehow were only named to the All-Conference Third Team and not higher, are a formidable tandom capable of taking down anyone — even WKU.

The Sleeper: North Texas

One of the best defensive teams in the conference, North Texas can win ugly. When they’re in a rhythm and Javion Hamlet is making his shots, they’re a tough out. If anyone’s making out of the “first round”, the Mean Green might have a decent shot.

Conference USA Basketball – Women’s Tournament

The Favorite: Rice

Rice has lost four conference games in their last three seasons. They’ve proven themselves to be mortal, but it’s hard to pick anyone to beat them outright. Led by Nancy Mulkey and a deep bench, the Owls’ defense has led them to three consecutive regular-season conference titles. They enter 2021 as the defending tournament champions after last season’s event was halted after the first round.

The Contender: Middle Tennessee

Despite the run of success from Rice, Middle Tennessee was picked to win the conference in the preseason polls. The two teams never met in the regular season. Could they meet in the Tournament? Led by 26.8 points per game from Anastasia Hayes, the Blue Raiders can run up the score quickly.

The Sleeper: Marshall

Marshall was far from the most consistent team this season, but they earned a unique distinction in the final weeks of the regular season. They won games against Rice and Middle Tennessee, something no other team in Conference USA can claim. Sometimes tournaments are all about getting hot at the right time. If Marshall can beat those two teams, they’ve got the ammo to beat just about anyone else.

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