Not since Memphis left the league after the 2013 season has the No. 1 seed cut down the nets at the Conference USA basketball tournament.
But not since the days when the Tigers ruled the league has there been a No. 1 as dominant as Middle Tennessee this season.
Four points shy of going unbeaten in conference play, double-digit winners in 13 league games, and now nationally ranked for the first time in school history, the Blue Raiders are the overwhelming favorites this week in Birmingham, Ala.
Who has the best chance of knocking off Middle Tennessee?
Not surprisingly, the three other teams that received first-round byes have the best shot. No. 2 Louisiana Tech can be explosive offensively and leads the league in turnover margin. They win by taking care of the ball at one end and taking it away at the other. The Bulldogs fell to the Blue Raiders by 10 on the road but have won eight of their last nine since.
No. 3 ODU had won five straight before falling flat at Texas-San Antonio on Saturday. Heavily reliant on a trio of sophomores for their scoring, the Monarchs play tenacious defense but can?t afford any more mental letdowns of the sort they had Saturday if they hope to make a run. They are 0-7 vs. MTSU since joining the league, losing to the Blue Raiders in the last three C-USA tournaments ? including by two points in the championship game last year ? and falling 64-51 on the road in early February.
Also defensive-minded, No. 4 Texas-El Paso reinvented itself at midyear after a dismal start and is responsible for the only blemish on the Blue Raiders? league record, winning 57-54 in El Paso. The Miners had won 11 of 13 before falling to ODU on Thursday.
With an RPI of 37, the Blue Raiders are squarely on the NCAA at-large bubble. Should they reach the final and lose, they?d be 29-5, a record that certainly passes the eye test. Working against them is that they have just two RPI top-50 wins, plus a loss to No. 241 UTEP and a home loss to No. 165 Tennessee State.
The bottom line is that the Blue Raiders can?t really risk leaving their fate to the selection committee. That motivation should make them an even tougher out this week.
But not since the days when the Tigers ruled the league has there been a No. 1 as dominant as Middle Tennessee this season.
Four points shy of going unbeaten in conference play, double-digit winners in 13 league games, and now nationally ranked for the first time in school history, the Blue Raiders are the overwhelming favorites this week in Birmingham, Ala.
Who has the best chance of knocking off Middle Tennessee?
Not surprisingly, the three other teams that received first-round byes have the best shot. No. 2 Louisiana Tech can be explosive offensively and leads the league in turnover margin. They win by taking care of the ball at one end and taking it away at the other. The Bulldogs fell to the Blue Raiders by 10 on the road but have won eight of their last nine since.
No. 3 ODU had won five straight before falling flat at Texas-San Antonio on Saturday. Heavily reliant on a trio of sophomores for their scoring, the Monarchs play tenacious defense but can?t afford any more mental letdowns of the sort they had Saturday if they hope to make a run. They are 0-7 vs. MTSU since joining the league, losing to the Blue Raiders in the last three C-USA tournaments ? including by two points in the championship game last year ? and falling 64-51 on the road in early February.
Also defensive-minded, No. 4 Texas-El Paso reinvented itself at midyear after a dismal start and is responsible for the only blemish on the Blue Raiders? league record, winning 57-54 in El Paso. The Miners had won 11 of 13 before falling to ODU on Thursday.
With an RPI of 37, the Blue Raiders are squarely on the NCAA at-large bubble. Should they reach the final and lose, they?d be 29-5, a record that certainly passes the eye test. Working against them is that they have just two RPI top-50 wins, plus a loss to No. 241 UTEP and a home loss to No. 165 Tennessee State.
The bottom line is that the Blue Raiders can?t really risk leaving their fate to the selection committee. That motivation should make them an even tougher out this week.
