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CUSA Baseball: Race for the top is closer than ever

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With two weeks remaining before the CUSA Baseball Tournament, Southern Miss and FAU are neck and neck at the top of the standings. Can anyone else come close?

Notable weekend results

1. Rice sees surge stopped by sweep (more)

In the midst of their longest winning streak of the year, Rice baseball had swept back to back CUSA series entering their road set with Western Kentucky. Within striking distance of the top teams, Rice fell flat, dropping all three contests to WKU. It’s now the Hilltoppers who hold sole possession of third place in the standings trailing Southern Miss and FAU.

2. FAU comes close to an emphatic sweep of Southern Miss

Southern Miss could have put the race for the No. 1 seed to bed with a series win over FAU. Instead of locking things down, the Eagles find themselves perilously close with the Owls, who took two of three over the weekend. The lone win for Southern Miss came in walk-off fashion, escaping with a ninth-inning single to break a 7-7 tie. The 1-seed is officially a two-team race.

3. Mother nature spoils Marshall/UTSA series

Both Marshall and UTSA are close to the cut line to make the conference tournament. Rough weather over the weekend forced the cancellation of the conclusion of the series, split 1-1. Marshall is 11-12. UTSA is 10-13. Both teams needed the chance at another win, so the lack of a rubber game is a particularly problematic ending from Huntington, WV.

Standings

Team CUSA Overall
1 Southern Miss 18-6 31-15
2 FAU 17-7 32-15
3 WKU 14-9-1 23-22-1
4 Louisiana Tech 13-11 29-19
5 Rice 12-12 21-27
6 Marshall 11-12 24-23
7 Old Dominion 11-13 29-18
8 UTSA 10-13 22-25
9 MTSU 10-14 17-30
10 Charlotte 9-14-1 18-27-1
11 FIU 9-15 20-27
12 UAB 8-16 22-26

 

Upcoming series of note

1. FAU at UTSA

FAU wants to make their final push for the No. 1 overall seed. UTSA is looking for enough wins to make the CUSA field. There will be a lot at stake in San Antonio next weekend.

2. Western Kentucky at Louisiana Tech

Sitting at No. 3 and No. 4 in the conference standings the Hilltoppers and Bulldogs can push themselves into a secure position with a series win.

3. Old Dominion and Marshall

This might be an elimination series. The loser will enter the final weekend below .500 in conference play and could need some help to make the CUSA Tournament field.

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CUSA Baseball: Middle of the pack thins as CUSA Tournament nears

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The battle for positioning in the CUSA baseball postseason race is gaining clarity. Here’s how the standings look with three weekends remaining.

Notable weekend results

1. Rice sweeps Louisiana Tech (more)

Louisiana Tech entered the weekend with a firm claim to a CUSA Tournament spot while Rice was on the fringes. The narrow games made for drama-filled days, but Rice walked away with their second consecutive CUSA sweep, propelling themselves from outside-looking-in two weeks ago to being a legitimate contender for a top-three seed.

2. UAB takes two of three from Marshall

Marshall had the opportunity to position themselves with the CUSA leaders during their three-game trip to Birmingham. Instead, they dropped two games to UAB, which had only won four CUSA games entering the weekend. With series remaining against UTSA, ODU and Rice they’ll have to work for their Tournament spot.

3. Old Dominion takes two of three from FAU

As the rest of the conference tries to get into the field, FAU is searching for the top-seed in the CUSA Tournament. After leading the league for the majority of the regular season, a Southern Miss sweep of MTSU combined with a bad weekend for the Owls against Old Dominion puts that dream in jeopardy.

Standings

Team CUSA Overall
1 Southern Miss 17-4 29-13
2 FAU 15-6 29-14
3 Louisiana Tech 12-9 28-16
4 Rice 12-9 21-23
5 WKU 11-9-21 20-21-1
6 Marshall 10-11 23-20
7 Old Dominion 9-12 26-17
8 UTSA 9-12 20-24
9 MTSU 9-12 16-28
10 FIU 8-13 18-25
11 Charlotte 7-13-21 16-26-1
12 UAB 6-15 19-25

 

Upcoming series of note

1. FAU at Southern Miss

After losing the top spot over the weekend, FAU will have the chance to take back with a head-to-head battle of CUSA’s top two squads.

2. UTSA at Marshall

It’s going to be tough any teams near the .500 mark when the postseason cut arrives. UTSA and Marshall are straddling that line with few opportunities left to make a move. A sweep from either side could push either team’s season to the brink

3.  Louisiana Tech at Old Dominion

Lousiana Tech doesn’t have time for an extended skid. The Rice pitching is top-notch, but more offensive struggles against Old Dominion could be reason for fans of the Bulldogs to be concerned.

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Conference USA Tournament Day 1 Recap

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The Conference USA Basketball Tournament is underway at the Star in Frisco, Tx. Here’s how the first day of action played out.

Conference USA Men’s Basketball Tournament

Wednesday Scores

8. Louisiana Tech def 9. FAU, 57-56
5. UAB def 12. MTSU, 70-61
10. North Texas def 7. FIU, 71-57
6. Marshall def 11. Rice, 82-65

Wrapping up Day 1

For the most part, chalk held on the first day of the men’s tournament with one notable exception. North Texas put together one of their most complete showings of the season, outpacing a solid FIU team from start to finish — the same FIU team which beat North Texas by 15 points in the final game of the regular season. Umoja Gibson and Zachary Simmons led the way for North Texas, scoring 21 and 19 points, respectively.

Elsewhere, Marshall’s Jon Elmore continued his torrid scoring pace. He tallied 32 points against Rice and probably could have had more if he’d not seen some time on the bench because of foul trouble and a sizable second half lead.

The most impressive play? How about this three-quarter court dime?

Thursday Schedule

8. Louisiana Tech vs 1. Old Dominion – 6 pm on Stadium
5. UAB vs 4. UTSA – 6:30 pm on Facebook
10. North Texas vs 2. Western Kentucky – 8:30 pm on Stadium
6. Marshall vs 3. Southern Miss – 9 pm on Facebook

Conference USA Women’s Basketball Tournament

Wednesday Scores

9. North Texas def 8. Southern Miss, 49-46
5. Old Dominion def 12. FAU, 60-32
7. Charlotte def 10. Louisiana Tech, 55-46
11. UTEP def 6. Marshall, 64-56 (2OT)

Wrapping up Day 1

UTEP was the story hear, stunning 6-seed Marshall in a double overtime thriller. The Miners had nine wins in the regular season, five in conference play. Despite the tough year, UTEP made their shots when it counted most. Three Miners finished with double-digit points and the underdog won the rebound battle 56-39.

The gap between the top teams and the lower seeds in the women’s bracket is expected to be fairly significant. We’ll see if another upset is sprung on Thursday when powers like undefeated Rice begin their tournament action.

Thursday Schedule

9. North Texas vs 1. Rice- 11 am on Stadium
5. Old Dominion vs 4. Western Kentucky – 11:30 am on ESPN+
7. Charlotte vs 2. UAB – 1:30 pm on Stadium
11. UTEP vs 3. MTSU – 2:00 pm on ESPN+

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

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Both Rice basketball teams qualified for the Conference USA Basketball Tournament in Frisco, Tx. Here’s a preview of the action.

Men’s Tournament – The Bracket

The Favorite: Old Dominion

After taking down Western Kentucky and UTSA, the Monarchs faded in the final two games of pod play. Their losses to Southern Miss and UAB are certainly a concern, but there was a reason this team was the only CUSA squad to win more than 20 games.

Even after dropping their final two regular season games, Old Dominion still owns a 13-5 conference record. They also beat Southern Miss and UAB earlier in the season. Led by guards B.J. Smith and Ahmad Carver, they’re going to shoot well and score a lot of points.

The Sleeper: Marshall

Marshall was one of the few teams to beat Old Dominion in the regular and could be the hottest squad in the conference in March. The Herd have won five straight, sweeping comfortably through pod play.

Champions over Western Kentucky last season, the core of the Herd lineup remains intact. Jon Elmore and C.J. Burks are once again one and two in scoring. Freshman Taevion Kinsey has come on strong lately with strong shooting performances and double-digit points in all of the Herd’s pod play victories.

The case for Rice

Unlike in other years, there is no dominant force in Conference USA. The 12-seed, Middle Tennessee, and the 1-seed, Old Dominion, are separated by five games in the standings. Four different teams, including Rice, enter Frisco 8-10 in conference play. By and large, the standings are fairly tight outside of Charlotte and UTEP, who failed to make the tournament.

Rice has proven on multiple occasions this year their best is good enough to beat even the upper end teams in CUSA. The Owls own wins over both Marshall and Southern Miss, the highest seeds on their side of the bracket and they fell to 2-seed Western Kentucky in double overtime.

The Owls haven’t been able to string together 40-minutes of top-level basketball with much consistency this year, but they have had their moments. If this team gets it in gear, they’re capable of beating anyone in this tournament.

Women’s Tournament – The Bracket

The Favorite: Rice

They say there’s a reason the games are played on the court and not a computer, but it’s hard to envision any amount of variation knocking the Owls off their perch atop Conference USA. They didn’t slow down in the final weeks of the regular season, and perhaps got even better, posting dominant wins over everyone they’ve met in March to this point.

If the season ended today, there’s a strong argument Rice is deserving of an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. Two wins in Frisco should seal the deal, but these ladies have their eyes set on cutting down the nets for a reason.

The Sleeper: Old Dominion

Old Dominion was neck and neck with Rice early on in conference play before Rice beat them in their lone head to head pairing of the season. Still, it was the Monarchs who gave the Owls their closest scare.

The challenger turned the game into a defensive slugfest, matching the physicality of Rice and holding the home team to 28.3 percent shooting from the field. Rice would go on to win by six points, but failed to score 50 points for the only time this season. To win this tournament you’ll have to go through Rice. Old Dominion has the best shot, albeit a distant one.

The case for Rice

Ranked for the first time in school history, this Rice team is special. In good games and in bad games, they find a way to win. Their defense is extraordinary and tenacious and the offense continually gets the ball in the hands of their most reliable players.

Rice might not have been tested to the same degree as some of their opponents they’ll face in Frisco. Rarely did Rice find themselves in a single-digit game in the fourth quarter, but when they did they came out on top. The chalk pick by most every expert, Rice is the prohibitive favorite to cut down the nets.

Schedule – Men / Women

First Round

Rice Men: Wednesday, March 13 at 9 p.m. vs Marshall – ESPN+
Rice Women: Bye

Second Round

Rice Men: TBD
Rice Women: Thursday, March 14 at 11 a.m. – opponent TBD – Watch Stadium

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