C-USA Championship Odds: UAB Big Favorites
Blazers Expected to Win C-USA Season Title
The C-USA championship odds show the Alabama-Birmingham Blazers as the team to beat. And for very good reason. UAB returns Jordan Walker, who found a home after previous stops at Xavier and Seton Hall. “Jelly” can take over games by himself. He has some talented players coming back with him from last year’s conference tournament winners.
North Texas went 16-2 in Conference USA play last year and will be good once again. But it will tough to keep up with the fast-paced Blazers. The C-USA championship odds say not to completely discount Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky.
Conference USA isn’t what it once was but there’s some good basketball being played. The conference ranks No. 11 in the Sagarin college basketball ratings, just below the Atlantic 10 and just ahead of the Missouri Valley Conference.
UAB Blazers
The C-USA championship odds on the Blazers are -125, which aren’t ideal for futures wagers. But it’s easy to make a case for UAB, which is strong offensively and pretty good on defense. The team’s defensive numbers take a bit of a hit due to UAB’s style. The Blazers are going to push the tempo whenever possible.
Walker became the player everybody knew he was capable of last year with the Blazers. He averaged 20.3 points and shot 39.6% of 3-pointers. He also led the team in assists, so he was capable of doing more than just shooting. Eric Gaines transferred in from LSU and will help take some pressure off Walker. Gaines averaged 9.0 points and 2.9 assists while primarily coming off the bench.
Big men KJ Buffen and Trey Jemison are back and those two were 1-2 in rebounding last year. They combined for 17 points per game and help keep teams honest in defending the inside.
The Blazers did take a bit of a hit in terms of depth. UAB can’t afford to see many players land on the college basketball injury report during the year. But as long as UAB stays healthy, the Blazers are a notch above the other teams.
The Contenders
North Texas Mean Green (+320):
North Texas Mean GreenThe C-USA championship odds of +320 on North Texas is partly based on last year’s memorable season. The Mean Green used a 15-game winning streak (10-4-1 against the NCAAB odds) on their way to a 25-win season. After being upset in the C-USA conference tournament, North Texas played in the NIT, losing to Virginia in the second round.
North Texas is the exact opposite of UAB and its high-flying ways. The Mean Green are going to slow things down to a crawl. It may not be exciting to watch but it is effective for North Texas. The Mean Green are above average offensively and solid defensively but lost some talent from last year’s team.
Leading scorer Tylor Perry is back but second-leading scorer Thomas Bell has moved on. Bell also led North Texas in rebounds and assists. Third-leading scorer Mardrez McBride also moved on. The Mean Green will need others to fill those roles.
Florida Atlantic Owls (+800):
The Owls have a decent team that is above average offensively and defensively. FAU returns several key players from last season’s CBI squad that finished 11-7 in C-USA play. But being a decent team isn’t likely to be enough to vault past the top two teams in the conference.
The Owls return their top six leading scorers from last year’s team. FAU doesn’t have any real standouts but it does have a collection of decent players. The Owls are built to be a better regular season team than they are for tournament play. It would be a surprise to see FAU win the regular season title but not a complete shock.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (+900):
Western Kentucky HilltoppersThe C-USA championship odds on Western Kentucky are +900, which could be another case of optimism. The Hilltoppers aren’t a bad team by any means but you can’t call them a great team, either. Western Kentucky went 19-13 last year and 11-7 in C-USA play.
Last year’s leading scorer Dayvion McKnight is back as is leading rebounder Jamarion Sharp. Emmanuel Akot arrives from Boise State, where he averaged 10.6 points last season. Western Kentucky is a decent team offensively, but they need to improve the defense to have any chance of winning the conference.
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