2016–17 Conference USA men's basketball season
2016–17 Conference USA men's basketball season | |
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League | NCAA Division I |
Sport | Basketball |
Number of teams | 14 |
TV partner(s) | CBS Sports Network, American Sports Network, beIN Sports, Campus Insiders, ESPN3 |
2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | |
Regular season champions | Middle Tennessee |
Runners-up | Louisiana Tech |
Season MVP | JaCorey Williams |
Tournament | |
Champions | Middle Tennessee |
Runners-up | Marshall |
Finals MVP | Giddy Potts |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Middle Tennessee † | 17 | – | 1 | .944 | 31 | – | 5 | .861 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Louisiana Tech | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | 23 | – | 10 | .697 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Old Dominion | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 19 | – | 12 | .613 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UTEP | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rice | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 23 | – | 12 | .657 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marshall | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 15 | .571 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UAB | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 17 | – | 16 | .515 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Kentucky | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UTSA | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 14 | – | 19 | .424 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charlotte | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 13 | – | 17 | .433 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Florida Atlantic | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 10 | – | 20 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Southern Miss | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 9 | – | 22 | .290 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FIU | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 7 | – | 24 | .226 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
North Texas | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 8 | – | 22 | .267 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† 2017 C-USA Tournament winner |
The 2016–17 Conference USA men's basketball season began with practices in October 2016, followed by the start of the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in late December and concluded in early March.
Middle Tennessee claimed the outright regular season championship with a win over UAB on February 26, 2017.[1] Louisiana Tech finished in second place in the regular season, three games behind the Blue Raiders.
Middle Tennessee's JaCorey Williams was named C-USA Player of the Year[2] and Kermit Davis was named the Coach of the Year.[3]
The C-USA tournament was held from March 8 through 11, 2017 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Middle Tennessee defeated Marshall to win the tournament championship for the second consecutive year. As a result, the Blue Raiders received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. No other C-USA school received an NCAA Tournament bid. Rice received a bid to the College Basketball Invitational tournament.
Head coaches
[edit]Coaching changes
[edit]On March 10, 2016, after 10 years with UTSA, head coach Brooks Thompson was fired.[4] He finished at UTSA with a record of 130–176. On April 1, the school hired Steve Henson as head coach.[5]
On March 17, 2016, WKU head coach Ray Harper resigned after three players were suspended by a university disciplinary committee.[6][7][8] He finished at WKU with a record of 90–62. On March 28, the school hired Rick Stansbury as head coach.[9]
UAB head coach Jerod Haase left UAB to accept the head coaching position at Stanford.[10] On April 4, 2016, the school hired Robert Ehsan, who had been an assistant under Haase at UAB, as head coach .[11]
Coaches
[edit]Team | Head coach | Previous job | Year at school | Overall record | C-USA record | C-USA championships | NCAA Tournaments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Charlotte | Mark Price | Charlotte Bobcats (asst.) | 2 | 27–36 | 16–20 | 0 | 0 |
FIU | Anthony Evans | Norfolk State | 4 | 51–76 | 25–45 | 0 | 0 |
Florida Atlantic | Michael Curry | Philadelphia 76ers (asst.) | 3 | 27–64 | 13–41 | 0 | 0 |
Louisiana Tech | Eric Konkol | Miami (asst.) | 2 | 46–20 | 26–10 | 0 | 0 |
Marshall | Dan D'Antoni | Los Angeles Lakers (asst.) | 3 | 48–52 | 29–25 | 0 | 0 |
Middle Tennessee | Kermit Davis | LSU (asst.) | 15 | 307–179 | 52–18 | 2 | 2 |
North Texas | Tony Benford | Marquette (assoc. head coach) | 5 | 62–95 | 23–49 | 0 | 0 |
Old Dominion | Jeff Jones | American | 4 | 89–51 | 46–24 | 0 | 0 |
Rice | Mike Rhoades | VCU (assoc. head coach) | 3 | 47–52 | 26–28 | 0 | 0 |
Southern Miss | Doc Sadler | Iowa State (asst.) | 3 | 20–63 | 14–39 | 0 | 0 |
UAB | Robert Ehsan | UAB (asst.) | 1 | 17–16 | 9–9 | 0 | 0 |
UTEP | Tim Floyd | USC | 7 | 135–81 | 75–41 | 0 | 0 |
UTSA | Steve Henson | Oklahoma (asst.) | 1 | 14–19 | 7–11 | 0 | 0 |
WKU | Rick Stansbury | Texas A&M (asst.) | 1 | 15–17 | 9–9 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
- All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
- Year at school includes 2016–17 season.
- Overall and C-USA records are from time at current school and are through the end of the 2016–17 season.
Preseason
[edit]Preseason Coaches Poll
[edit]Source[12]
Rank | Team |
---|---|
1. | UAB (10) |
2. | Middle Tennessee (4) |
3. | WKU |
4. | Marshall |
5. | Old Dominion |
6. | UTEP |
7. | Louisiana Tech |
8. | Charlotte |
9. | Rice |
10. | North Texas |
11. | FIU |
12. | Florida Atlantic |
13. | Southern Miss |
14. | UTSA |
() first place votes
Preseason All-C-USA Team
[edit]Source[12]
Recipient | School |
---|---|
Jeremy Combs | North Texas |
Chris Cokley | UAB |
Jon Elmore | Marshall |
Justin Johnson | WKU |
William Lee | UAB |
Erik McCree | Louisiana Tech |
Giddy Potts | Middle Tennessee |
Ryan Taylor | Marshall |
Reggie Upshaw Jr. | Middle Tennessee |
Conference schedules
[edit]Conference matrix
[edit]This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play.
Charlotte | FIU | FAU | LaTech | Marshall | MTSU | UNT | ODU | Rice | USM | UAB | UTEP | UTSA | WKU | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
vs. Charlotte | – | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
vs. FIU | 1–0 | – | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
vs. Florida Atlantic | 0–1 | 0–2 | – | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
vs. Louisiana Tech | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | – | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 |
vs. Marshall | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | – | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 |
vs. Middle Tennessee | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | – | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 |
vs. North Texas | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | – | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
vs. Old Dominion | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | – | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 |
vs. Rice | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | – | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
vs. Southern Miss | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | – | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
vs. UAB | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | – | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
vs. UTEP | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | – | 1–1 | 1–0 |
vs. UTSA | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | – | 1–0 |
vs. WKU | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | – |
Total | 7–11 | 3–15 | 6–12 | 14–4 | 10–8 | 17–1 | 2–16 | 12–6 | 11–7 | 6–12 | 9–9 | 12–6 | 8–10 | 9–9 |
Players of the Week
[edit]Throughout the conference regular season, the C-USA offices named one or two players of the week and one or two freshmen of the week each Monday.[13]
Week | Player of the week | Freshman of the week |
---|---|---|
November 14, 2016 | Egor Koulechov, Rice | DaQuan Bracey, Louisiana Tech |
November 21, 2016 | Dominic Artis, UTEP | Byron Frohnen, UTSA |
November 28, 2016 | JaCorey Williams, Middle Tennessee | Jailyn Ingram, Florida Atlantic |
December 5, 2016 | Marcus Evans, Rice | Najee Garvin, Charlotte |
December 12, 2016 | Jon Elmore, Marshall | Deon Barrett, UTEP |
December 19, 2016 | JaCorey Williams (2), Middle Tennessee | A. J. Lawson, North Texas |
December 26, 2016 | Stevie Browning, Marshall | Byron Frohnen (2), UTSA |
Jalen Harris, Louisiana Tech | ||
January 2, 2017 | Reggie Upshaw Jr., Middle Tennessee | Quentin Jackson Jr., Charlotte |
January 9, 2017 | Ryan Taylor, Marshall | Giovanni De Nicolao, UTSA |
January 16, 2017 | William Lee, UAB | DaQuan Bracey (2), Louisiana Tech |
January 23, 2017 | Jon Davis, Charlotte | DaQuan Bracey (3), Louisiana Tech |
January 30, 2017 | Matt Willms, UTEP | Byron Frohnen (3), UTSA |
February 6, 2017 | Justin Johnson, WKU | A. J. Lawson (2), North Texas |
February 13, 2017 | Marcus Evans (2), Rice | Ryan Woolridge, North Texas |
February 20, 2017 | Paul Thomas, UTEP | Ryan Woolridge (2), North Texas |
February 27, 2017 | Quinton Campbell, Southern Miss | A.J. Lawson (3), North Texas |
March 6, 2017 | Egor Koulechov (2), Rice | Jalen Harris (2), Louisiana Tech |
All-C-USA honors and awards
[edit]Following the regular season, the conference selected outstanding performers based on a poll of league coaches.[14][15]
Honor | Recipient |
---|---|
Player of the Year | JaCorey Williams, Middle Tennessee |
Coach of the Year | Kermit Davis, Middle Tennessee |
Defensive Player of the Year | William Lee, UAB |
Freshman of the Year | DaQuan Bracey, Louisiana Tech |
Newcomer of the Year | JaCorey Williams, Middle Tennessee |
Sixth Man of the Year | Zoran Talley, Old Dominion |
All-C-USA First Team | Erik McCree, Louisiana Tech |
Jon Elmore, Marshall | |
JaCorey Williams, Middle Tennessee | |
Marcus Evans, Rice | |
Egor Koulechov, Rice | |
All-C-USA Second Team | Jon Davis, Charlotte |
Reggie Upshaw Jr., Middle Tennessee | |
William Lee, UAB | |
Dominic Artis, UTEP | |
Justin Johnson, WKU | |
All-C-USA Third Team | Jacobi Boykins, Louisiana Tech |
Ryan Taylor, Marshall | |
Giddy Potts, Middle Tennessee | |
Ahmad Caver, Old Dominion | |
Omega Harris, UTEP | |
All-C-USA Defensive Team | Jacobi Boykins, Louisiana Tech |
Ryan Taylor, Marshall | |
Reggie Upshaw Jr., Middle Tennessee | |
Denzell Taylor, Old Dominion | |
William Lee, UAB | |
All-C-USA Freshman Team | DaQuan Bracey, Louisiana Tech |
Jalen Harris, Louisiana Tech | |
Tyrik Dixon, Middle Tennessee | |
A. J. Lawson, North Texas | |
Byron Frohnen, UTSA |
Postseason
[edit]C-USA Tournament
[edit]Only the top 12 conference teams were eligible for the tournament.
Game | Time* | Matchup# | Score | Television | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First round – Wednesday, March 8 | ||||||
1 | 11:30 am | No. 8 Western Kentucky vs. No. 9 UTSA | 52–56 | Campus Insiders | 3,207 | |
2 | 2:00 pm | No. 5 Rice vs. No. 12 Southern Miss | 86–75 | |||
3 | 5:30 pm | No. 7 UAB vs. No. 10 Charlotte | 74–73 | 6,410 | ||
4 | 8:00 pm | No. 6 Marshall vs. No. 11 Florida Atlantic | 89–74 | |||
Quarterfinals – Thursday, March 9 | ||||||
5 | 11:30 am | No. 1 Middle Tennessee vs. No. 9 UTSA | 86–70 | ASN | 3,654 | |
6 | 2:00 pm | No. 4 UTEP vs. No. 5 Rice | 86–76 | |||
7 | 5:30 pm | No. 2 Louisiana Tech vs. No. 7 UAB | 69–57 | 4,005 | ||
8 | 8:00 pm | No. 3 Old Dominion vs. No. 6 Marshall | 63–64 | |||
Semifinals – Friday, March 10 | ||||||
9 | 11:30 am | No. 1 Middle Tennessee vs. No. 4 UTEP | 82–56 | CBSSN | 3,299 | |
10 | 2:00 pm | No. 2 Louisiana Tech vs. No. 6 Marshall | 77–93 | |||
Championship Game – Saturday, March 11 | ||||||
11 | 7:30 pm | No. 1 Middle Tennessee vs. No. 6 Marshall | 83–72 | CBSSN | 3,956 | |
*Game times in CT. Rankings denote tournament seed |
NCAA tournament
[edit]Seed | Region | School | First Four | First Round | Second Round | Sweet 16 | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | South | Middle Tennessee | N/A | defeated (5) Minnesota 81–72 | eliminated by (4) Butler 65–74 |
References
[edit]- ^ "MBK: Middle Tennessee Claims C-USA Regular-Season Title". Conference USA. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ "MTSU's JaCorey Williams named Conference USA Player of the Year". DNJ. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ "Kermit Davis named Conference USA's Coach of the Year". DNJ. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ "UTSA fires coach Thompson after 10 seasons". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "Steve Henson hired as seventh men's basketball coach at UTSA". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "Ray Harper has resigned as WKU basketball coach".
- ^ "WKU's Harper resigns as three players suspended". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ GREENWELL, ZACH. "Ransdell: Outcome of WKU players' hearing was 'primary reason' for Harper's resignation". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "It's official: WKU hires Stansbury as coach". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "Jerod Haase leaves UAB after four seasons, heading to Stanford". AL.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "UAB promotes assistant Ehsan to head coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ a b "MBK: UAB Voted C-USA Preseason Favorite". www.conferenceusa.com. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
- ^ "C-USA Notebook" (PDF).
- ^ "C-USA MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS ANNOUNCED" (PDF).
- ^ "C-USA MEN'S BASKETBALL SPECIALTY AWARDS ANNOUNCED" (PDF).