News, Analysis and Opinion from Bonesville's Denny O'Brien

Pirate Notebook No. 113
Friday, March 7, 2003

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

In a sport traditionally dominated by a handful of leagues, Conference USA has solidified its place among the nation's elite basketball conferences.

The general perception prior to this season was that the oversized league is top-heavy, consisting of three or four solid programs which were diluted by an overflow of mid-major misfits.

That line of thought has since changed, with four C-USA clubs — Marquette, Memphis, Louisville, and Cincinnati — expected to receive NCAA bids on Selection Sunday, while DePaul and Saint Louis could both make legitimate cases with victories Saturday and strong showings in the conference tournament. Marquette, which has clinched the regular season title, is among the hottest teams in the nation and is a serious threat to claim one of the regional No. 1 seeds.

Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins, whose team faces the Golden Eagles Saturday, was impressed with Marquette's thrilling comeback at Louisville, which in his mind, was evidence enough that C-USA's top team is legit.

"I was really, really impressed with Marquette and their comeback win against Louisville," Huggins said. "To be 19 down in Freedom Hall and come back to win, that's a heck of a deal for anybody. It's kind of where we were in 2000.

"We were down really big at DePaul with not a lot of time left and came back and won the game. I think that's the sign of a great team, not a good team. I think Marquette's a great team."

For once, though, C-USA isn't a league with one great team and bunch of mediocre clubs.

Huggins' Bearcats have dominated the league since its inception, while a few traditionally strong programs struggled to find consistency. This year, though, three of C-USA's flagship schools have returned to the polls — No. 8 Marquette, No. 15 Louisville and No. 18 Memphis — while a grand total of six are listed in the RPI Top 60.

"I think we've got a whole bunch of really good teams in the league," Huggins added. "Memphis is certainly deserving of being a Top 25 team and probably higher than just a Top 25 team. I think they ought to be in the Top 15 in the country.

"Louisville was certainly a Top 7 or 8 team before all the injuries took place. Then, there's a lot of really good teams. I think at one time, we had five or six teams in the Top 50 in the RPI in the country. That means we're playing a great schedule and we're winning some games."

C-USA has more than held its own outside of conference play with several marquee victories over high-profile foes.

Marquette boasts triumphs over Wake Forest, which has clinched a tie for the ACC regular season title, and Wisconsin, which owns the Big Ten's crown. Louisville topped Seton Hall, Tennessee, and Kentucky, the SEC regular season champ. Cincinnati bagged wins over Oklahoma State and Oregon, while Memphis tamed Syracuse and Illinois.

Even the league's lower-division teams have done their part outside the conference, including Tulane's win over Georgia Tech and East Carolina's victory over Ole Miss.

Yet despite marked improvement from top to bottom, Southern Miss coach James Green says there is still a gap between C-USA's lead dogs and the rest of the pack.

"Of late some people have really stepped up big and it's a concern," Green said. "It's been a concern for us for seven years.

"We're in a league that is very, very competitive. We're one of the programs that isn't working with as much as some of the other people. At Southern Miss, we've all got to figure out how to get ourselves up in the top half of the league year in and year out. Financial commitment is something that we're going to have to figure out how to make that."

Louisville and Memphis recently made huge investments by luring high-profile coaches and it is already paying dividends. Rick Pitino (Louisville) and John Calipari (Memphis) needed little time to return their programs to the national forefront.

Marquette has also made a huge monetary commitment to its coach — up-and-coming star Tom Crean — who is a solid candidate for national coach-of-the-year honors.

But according to Green, the ability to afford a top-dollar staff isn't the only advantage for C-USA's premier programs.

"We have a problem with scheduling," Green said. "Our travel is probably as expensive or maybe more expensive than all the teams — maybe with the exception of East Carolina — because of how we have to bus to airports and such things.

"Our recruiting budget is limited, also. Those are the areas in which you can really make a difference — recruiting and scheduling. We're planning to do some things with our facility that hopefully will enhance our recruiting efforts. That's the only way that we're going to get there, is to make a similar commitment to some of the other programs in the league."

With the league continuing to make strides, the bar is rising, which makes it increasingly difficult for many of the league's programs to keep pace. The scary thought is, Pitino and Calipari still haven't had the time to stockpile rosters with their own recruits and there is no evidence that either Cincinnati or Marquette will backtrack in the near future.

What's more, DePaul and UAB, which had great success in the 80s and, to some extent, the 90s, appear primed to make a huge leap after hiring new coaches prior to this season, and Charlotte has traditionally been one of C-USA's top programs and should return to its winning ways after a rebuilding campaign this year.

It would be enough to send half the league's coaches scrambling around in panic mode if they had time to pay attention to the peripherals.

"You play the hand you're dealt," South Florida coach Seth Greenberg said. "If you concern yourself with other programs, then you're not spending enough time dealing with the issues at hand.

"You can't cry over spilt milk. Certain schools have greater traditions and they have greater resources, but that doesn't always mean you're going to be successful. There are a lot of schools that have unbelievable resources but aren't successful. You've just got to keep on working and hopefully you can find a player who makes a difference and can elevate your program."

The way the league is beginning to take shape, though, it's going to take money — and lots of it.

Heading into Wednesday night's game with UAB, Huggins didn't seem confident his team would receive an at-large bid to the field of 65.

After seven consecutive seasons atop the C-USA standings, Cincinnati was sitting 16-9 and considered by some, including the long-time Bearcats coach, to be on the bubble.

"I have no idea what's going through their minds," Huggins said. "I've given up trying to figure that out.

"I hope that we're intelligent enough to know that we need a win or two here to secure an NCAA tournament bid. We haven't had anybody (play) consistent. That's why we're 16-9."

With the win over the Blazers Wednesday, UC all but assured itself a spot in the Big Dance. Will that be enough to keep its coach happy?

Pitino is a solid bet to snag C-USA's coach-of-the-year honor for restoring the Cardinals to elite status. That, however, shouldn't overshadow what first-year UAB coach Mike Anderson has accomplished this season.

Picked by many to finish near the bottom of the C-USA standings, the Blazers (16-10, 8-7) have been one of the surprises due to the up-tempo style Anderson brought with him from Arkansas, where he spent the last 14 years as an assistant.

"They play really hard and they play with great enthusiasm," Huggins said. "They try to play the game really fast and they try to get you to play the game fast. If you're not very accomplished at playing the game fast, they make things really difficult for you.

"I think Mike's done a really good job with them and he's got guys playing with a lot of confidence. He's got guys that didn't play with near as much confidence before playing with a lot of confidence."