Liberty won the regular-season championship by four games over the rest of the conference but dropped three of five down the stretch. Which Flame team will we see when the championship tips off? Can someone else surge to cut down the nets?
1. Liberty (17-3 CUSA, 25-6 overall)
The Flames come into this tournament having lost three of their last five, but a productive home win to finish off the season against Sam Houston has them feeling good headed
into Huntsville. Liberty is second in the country in EFG% (60.2%), and looks to maintain that stellar efficiency as it takes on the winner of FIU and Missouri St.
2. Sam Houston (13-7, 21-10)
Sam Houston is also another one of those teams that enters the tournament on a losing streak, having lost their final two road bouts to Delaware and Liberty. Po’Boigh King leads the Bearkats in scoring, but yet another balanced attack of five scorers averaging double figures highlights Chris Mudge’s team.
3. Western Kentucky (11-9, 18-13)
An up-and-down season was finally at its peak for the Hilltoppers off a six-game win streak to finish out the month of February, but in the final weekend of the season, WKU fall back to Earth. Hank Plona’s squad has one of the more inefficient offenses in the conference, but the team has shown that when it hits 80 points, it wins.
4. Louisiana Tech (11-9, 18-13)
The Bulldogs are possibly the biggest surprise in CUSA this season. Following a dramatic exodus of players last season, Talvin Hester has brought together a list of off-the-radar names to keep Ruston, LA, on the radar.
5. Middle Tennessee (11-9, 17-14)
Possibly the hottest team headed into the postseason are the Blue Raiders. Winning five straight to finish out the season, Kamari Lands and Torey Alston have led the way for a team with tremendous upside as the five seed.
6. Kennesaw State (10-10, 18-13)
Losing Simeon Cottle was not ideal, but the Owls have rebounded with a team that has produced success in spurts. RJ Johnson’s return this season combined with another great two-way season from Braedan Lue makes this team a tough opponent to see in the quarterfinals.
7. Jacksonville State (10-10, 15-16)
The Gamecocks always have liked to outperform expectations, and this year is no different. Mostapha El Moutaouakkil has been brilliant, and Jax State can go as far as he takes them.
8. Florida International (8-12, 15-16)
If there’s one thing that Jeremy Ballard’s team can do, it’s run the floor. Corey Stephenson leads a trio of scorers along with Julian Mackey and Zawdie Jackson. You never know what you’re going to get from the Panthers, so we could see a first-round exit, but the potential to make a run is definitely there.
9. Missouri State (8-12, 14-17)
The Bears have been impressive in their first season out of the Missouri Valley with their three-headed scoring machine in Keith Palek III, Michael Osei-Bonsu and Kobi Williams, and despite the nine seed, this team could turn a lot of heads if they get their offense going.
10. New Mexico State (8-12, 15-15)
The Aggies had a strong start to the season but fell off gradually until conference play, but even so, no team has played more close games than Jason Hooten’s squad. Six of the Aggie’s 12 conference losses have been decided by seven or less, but Jemel Jones and Co. have the firepower to compete with anyone in the conference.
