C-USA Tournament Brackets Schedule

[Austintacious]

Middle Tennesee plays the winner of UTEP v. Old Dominion game:

https://conferenceusa.com/sports/2022/2/1/bkbchamp2022.aspx

[Chanson]

I'm not writing any team off. There is one thing we can trust is that March Madness can be unpredictable.
That being said, UTEP has peaked at the right time & has a very rare opportunity to go far in this tournament.
I remember rushing home after school to watch the Miners compete in the WAC h NCAA Tournament in the 80s. While I know this team is missing a lot of elements, that same excitement is rushing through me this year. It's been too long since I felt this unexpected but pleasant anxiety.
I'm definitely not expecting this team to shock the world, but they have stumbled on a path that is promising & I can't wait to see what they do with this opportunity. Hell, even if they lose to OD, I still like what I see.

[SisyphusMiner]

Winning the tourney is possible.  Not probable, but possible.  And we haven?t been here in a very long time

[Minermojo]

Utep winning the tourney would be a Godsend after all the troubles it's been through thru the years. I sure hope that we can upset the main players. It is possible as we just beat a team that only had what, 4 losses? It can be done and I'm hoping that they do. Kennedy being on the lineup can't hurt either.

[kyyote]

It has been a very interesting year.  Health issues early.  A new coach and a new system.  Transition from the Bryson Williams Show to We Don't Know But We Are Going To Be On Your Ass Show.  JB found his shot, Boum leads C-USA in scoring.  The team had learned to come together around this.  What with the defense keeping you in games and now two offensive threats the Miners became a pretty tough team to beat.  If the opponent has a shut down defender, they can take away one of the guns. Then, it gets a little iffy.  But all of a sudden Kennedy comes back.  I think the first game he was his normal plus self, but the team had a little trouble incorporating him.  They got it worked out a little better for the UNT game and the extra umph was just what the team needed to go from pretty good to scary.  Btw, Kennedy is an energizer bunny normally, but he has fresh legs when everyone else has end of regular season tired achy legs.  As for coaching, we don't sit there wondering about substitutions like we used to.  We don't have the strong inside game I would like to see, the guys get it done and most are young and getting better.  And he has the team playing defense in a way that would actually put a smile on The Bear's face for an instant before snarling a few word/sounds.  Y'all are right about us not having any business thinking we should win the tournament, but you are also right in that we could damned sure could.  C-USA teams saw UTEP all season-but without KK and all of a sudden, we have sprung a secret weapon on them.  I think we now have the team needed to win it all, but I think the key will be in the mindset of the players with the sudden addition to the team that takes the floor.  I think the newly found additional power has given the spark that if the Miners were to put ODU away in a workmanlike manor it would add exponentially to their team cohesiveness and energy.  They would be nearing superpowers transformation at that point.  I will stop now, because I am just getting wound up.

[Chanson]

Preach on.
You are absolutely right. With the way our interior is lacking, poor rebounding, failing to defend the back door, high inconsistencies of of back ups, etc., we should be under 500. We'll..they are not. Boum, JB, & KK seem to be the rock that keeps this team afloat. If a few players can turn that corner in Sibley, Satterfield, & Onyema, we would be at the top of the conference. I think kids like TV, Hollins, & Agnew have reached their ceilings. That's OK because we know what we will get from them.

With all that being said, who is the secret weapon behind this unexpected season? KY mentioned KK, but he was playing lights out before the injury. Boum has always been the scoring machine. JB did step up while KK was out, but he has always been the glue of the team.
Our secret weapon, my friends, is Golding. He knows everyone's shortcomings & figured out how to limit them. Ex-Sibley & Hollins switching out constantly, keeping Agnew & Onyema under 10min/game, limmiting Saterfield when he's not hitting 3s, letting Boum loose the last 10min of each game while opponents are tired, etc. He has been outcoached a few times (UAB, Bradley) but his defense gives his kids that chance.

Sis is 100% correct in that winning CUSA tourney is possible & not probable. It would be a long shot. Just like it would be a long shot for Saterfield & Sibley to have a great tournament or The Miners figure out their rebounding woes. No matter the case, the year was unexpectedly pleasant. No matter the result of this tournament, I can't wait to see what next year brings.
Come on Miners, don't hold back.

[SisyphusMiner]

Really excited about where we are heading.  This is the best coaching job we've seen since Barbee.  Golding has yet to show he can recruit like Barbee, but he is showing growth over the season as well.  Part of that may have just been figuring out where his guys were at and what they could and couldn't do. 

To me the most incredible improvement we have seen is players mostly playing within themselves and taking what the defense gives them and whether or not they are hot on that day.  That was what we saw out of NMSU and what we needed to learn. 

Lots to talk about looking forward to next season but holding off until the final buzzer of this one.

[SisyphusMiner]

I live about an hour away from Frisco.  Realistically I can't justify going to 4 games if they should win the whole thing.  Thinking maybe their first game, and then Saturday should they make it that far.  Semifinals at 2:00 PM Friday is a sucky time.  I could probably take the afternoon off but I like to go with my wife who's a teacher so that's not an option.  That also makes weeknights hard since she has to get up at 5:30 AM

They could go all the way or have a game like Marshall and just suck.  It's a tough path if there are no upsets.  If favorites win it would be ODU MTSU UAB UNT.  Win that gauntlet and they deserve a bid.

I'd really like to see them get 20 wins.  I'd take a lower tier tourney to get there.  I feel like these guys deserve it with the adversity they've overcome and their effort and just overall attitude and heart.  I really like this team.

[Minermojo]

Coach Midas said that anything other than the Ncaa is not a given. He said that it would be better served out in the recruiting trail. I know you didn't see him on tv since he was on the local sports segment but that's what he said, or I gathered. I think if invited to the mid level NIT tourney they should go. It would serve them well if next year we go to the dance, the Grand Ball.

[Chanson]

I'm not sure who is more lucky, Sis being able to watch the Miners play in the conference tournament, or me with watching regular games.
I think if things advance next year with this team, I will take the week off & travel to that tournament. Hopefully still in Dallas.

[zyxwvutsru]

Fire Coach Baker.  Our ladies have gotten worse the last three years

[m12345678u]

Fire Coach Baker.  Our ladies have gotten worse the last three years

Considering the level of talent that was at his disposal, the season definitely ended long before it should have. After the early 8and 2 start, things seemed to be headed to a place that was indicative of the talent on the team. Alas, that is not how the season ended. I tend to be of the opinion that a lot of may have come down to coaching.

[kyyote]

I would like a strong game and a win.  I would also like to see TV hav a big game.  It would be good for his confidence.

[kyyote]

Wow!  This was the team I had asked for all year with Kennedy thrown in for a bonus.  Thank you, Coach Golding!