2016–17 Conference USA men's basketball season
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.
| 2016–17 Conference USA men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 |
| 2016–17 Conference USA men's basketball standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
Coaching changes
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
| 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
Preseason Coaches Poll
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
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
Conference matrix
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
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
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
C-USA Tournament
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
| 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
- "MBK: Middle Tennessee Claims C-USA Regular-Season Title". Conference USA. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
- "MTSU's JaCorey Williams named Conference USA Player of the Year". DNJ. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
- "Kermit Davis named Conference USA's Coach of the Year". DNJ. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
- "UTSA fires coach Thompson after 10 seasons". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
- "Steve Henson hired as seventh men's basketball coach at UTSA". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
- http://www.wbko.com/content/news/Ray-Harper-has-resigned-as-WKU-basketball-coach.html
- "WKU's Harper resigns as three players suspended". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
- [email protected], ZACH GREENWELL. "Ransdell: Outcome of WKU players' hearing was 'primary reason' for Harper's resignation". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
- "It's official: WKU hires Stansbury as coach". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
- "Jerod Haase leaves UAB after four seasons, heading to Stanford". AL.com. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
- "UAB promotes assistant Ehsan to head coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
- "MBK: UAB Voted C-USA Preseason Favorite". www.conferenceusa.com. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
- "C-USA Notebook" (PDF).
- "C‐USA MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL‐CONFERENCE TEAMS ANNOUNCED" (PDF).
- "C‐USA MEN'S BASKETBALL SPECIALTY AWARDS ANNOUNCED" (PDF).
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