The Conference USA has gone through many changes over the years, and this season, it's adding a new face (Kennesaw State) to up the membership to 10 schools.
Last season, Western Kentucky grabbed the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in spite of an 8-8 regular season conference mark.
There's no question the conference was competitive, as five schools were separated by one game following the top two teams, Sam Houston and Louisiana Tech. Both the Bearkats and Bulldogs finished with a combined 25-7 mark in C-USA action, but they were bounced early in the conference tournament.
Coming into this season, Liberty is the highest-ranked team in the league, according to KenPom, followed by Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston.
Will we see domination again from Sam Houston and Louisiana Tech, or will one of the middle-of-the-pack squads break through to the top of the Conference USA in 2025? Here's my 2024-25 Conference USA betting preview.
2024-25 Conference USA Regular Season NCAAB Conference Title Odds
| Team Name | Odds (Via BetMGM) |
| Western Kentucky | +300 |
| Louisiana Tech | +325 |
| Liberty | +325 |
| Sam Houston | +350 |
| UTEP | +1000 |
| New Mexico State | +1000 |
| Middle Tennessee | +2500 |
| Jacksonville State | +5000 |
| FIU | +8000 |
| Kennesaw State | +10000 |
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Sam Houston Bearkats
Following a successful run in the WAC, the Bearkats transitioned to Conference USA last season and took the league by storm with a 21-12 overall record.
Sam Houston wasn’t great in non-conference play, which included blowout losses to Texas Tech, Arizona State and Oklahoma State. However, the Bearkats cruised to a 13-3 mark in the league.
Sam Houston was tripped up in the C-USA semifinals by upstart UTEP, though, who the Bearkats beat twice in the regular season.
The good news heading into their second campaign in this league is the return of standout guard Lamar Wilkerson, who led the Bearkats in scoring at 14 points per game.
Second-leading scorer Davon Barnes is headed to Ole Miss this season, but forward Cameron Huefner looks to build off a strong finish to conference play (10 PPG in the final 12 contests).
Out of Sam Houston’s 14 total wins against conference opponents last season, the Bearkats covered the spread 13 times, including in a pair of victories as hefty underdogs against Louisiana Tech.
Several numbers did take a dip in their first season not playing in the WAC, as the Bearkats allowed opponents to shoot 46.6% on 2-point attempts in 2023, compared to 50.5% in 2024.
Also, Sam Houston’s EFG% (effective field goal percentage) went from 50.7% in 2023 down to 48.6% in 2024.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
The Bulldogs stumbled in Talvin Hester’s first season as head coach by posting a 15-18 record. But they rebounded nicely in his second season in Ruston by winning 22 games.
Louisiana Tech put together a 12-4 mark in Conference USA action before getting upset by Middle Tennessee in its opening game of the conference tournament.
However, the defensive numbers were extremely stout, as the Bulldogs limited opponents to 43% shooting on 2-point attempts, which ranked second in the entire country.
The Bulldogs were that close to maybe 25 wins or more if some games broke their way. Louisiana Tech dropped six games by five points or less and another one by six in overtime. Only three of its 22 victories came by five points or fewer, so it took care of its business in decisive fashion.
Last season’s C-USA Player of the Year Isaiah Crawford is off to the NBA with the Sacramento Kings. He averaged 16.5 points per game and six rebounds a contest last season.
The good news is Daniel Batcho, who put up 15.4 points a game in league play for the Bulldogs, while pulling down double-digit boards in seven C-USA contests, is back.
The non-conference schedule isn’t too demanding for the Bulldogs, as it's highlighted by matchups with UMass, Memphis and Grand Canyon before traveling to El Paso to face UTEP in the C-USA opener on January 2.
Liberty Flames
After a successful five-year run in the ASUN, Liberty took a step back in its debut campaign in Conference USA by finishing 7-9 in the league and 18-14 overall.
18 wins was the lowest total for Liberty since closing 13-19 in 2016, which was Ritchie McKay’s first season as head coach.
McKay has turned around this Liberty program over the last decade by posting seven consecutive seasons of 20 victories or more before last year’s slight hiccup.
The Flames lost four games in non-conference play to eventual NCAA Tournament teams (FAU, Charleston, Grand Canyon and Alabama), while going through a roller-coaster in C-USA action.
Amazingly, Liberty posted a horrendous 0-7 against-the-spread mark in conference play as a road favorite, as the Flames went 1-7 on the road against C-USA opponents, compared to a 6-2 home mark.
Last season’s leading scorer Kyle Rode has exited the program following a five-year stint, but the Flames do return a pair of double-digit scorers in guard Kaden Metheny (13.2 PPG) and forward Zach Cleveland (12.0 PPG).
Liberty shot the ball well last season, finishing 34th in the country in EFG% (54.3%) and 26th in converting 2-point shots at 55%.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
The only team behind Sam Houston and Louisiana Tech to not own a losing record in C-USA play last season was Western Kentucky.
An 8-8 mark is nothing to get excited about, but it was good enough for third place for the Hilltoppers, who also finished with 22 victories on the season and earned the C-USA tournament crown.
WKU sat at 8-4 in league play before dropping its final four contests heading into the conference tournament. The Hilltoppers hit the reset button and saved their season by routing New Mexico State and Middle Tennessee before holding off UTEP in the championship.
They avoided Sam Houston and Louisiana Tech, but the Hilltoppers received the automatic bid to the Big Dance and fought hard in a first-round defeat to Marquette.
The Hilltoppers turn the page to this season with a brand new head coach after Steve Lutz (Oklahoma State) was one-and-done.
Enter Providence graduate Hank Plona, who had a successful run at Indian Hills Community College before moving to WKU as an assistant prior to last season.
The good news for Plona is he returns a majority of last season’s squad, highlighted by first team All-Conference USA guard Don McHenry, who averaged 15.1 points per game.
McHenry was a consistent scorer all season, but he made his mark in the C-USA title game against UTEP, scoring 25 points and helping the Hilltoppers rally from a 51-44 deficit with less than 15 minutes remaining to capture the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
WKU won’t catch anyone off guard this season, as it compiled a strong 8-4 record against the spread as an underdog last season.
The Hilltoppers pushed the pace in 2024 by owning the fastest tempo in the country at 75.3 possessions per game, which was an eight-possession jump from the previous season.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
The Blue Raiders saw a four-win dip in conference action this past season in spite of the league losing the likes of FAU, UAB, North Texas and Charlotte to the AAC.
Middle Tennessee finished as one of four teams with a 7-9 league mark, but it overcame an 0-4 C-USA start to win seven of its last 12 games.
The highlight of its season came when it shocked second-seeded Louisiana Tech in the conference tournament, 70-67, as nine-point underdogs.
It still wasn’t a season to treasure for the Blue Raiders, who closed at 14-19 overall, which included two victories over non-D-I opponents.
Shooting was a major issue for Middle Tennessee, which finished 334th in the country in EFG%. It was even worse when it came to turning the ball over (341st in turnover rate).
Middle Tennessee lost five of six regular-season matchups against the three teams with a winning record in league play, while going 6-6 against the rest of the conference.
From November 13 through January 20, the Blue Raiders put together a dreadful 1-14 against-the-spread record, as the lone cover came in an overtime victory over Missouri State.
The tie-in to that horrific ATS run stems from the season-ending knee injury to point guard Camryn Weston in the second game of the campaign.
Yes, it helped improve Middle Tennessee to 2-0, but it made the coaches scramble for the rest of the season to replace Weston, who averaged 10.6 points per game in 2022-23 and led the team in assists.
New Mexico State Aggies
The Aggies finished with 13 victories in its first season moving over from the WAC, including seven wins in Conference USA play.
However, New Mexico State picked up four wins against non-D-I opponents and beat Northern Colorado and Cal Baptist in non-conference play.
From an ATS standpoint, the Aggies managed a solid 5-0 run in December, which included upsetting rival New Mexico and losing a three-point decision as double-digit underdogs against former WAC rival Stephen F. Austin.
The Aggies captured only one road victory in C-USA play, which came at Jacksonville State as nine-point underdogs. They also failed to cover in the other seven away defeats in league play.
Yes, the Aggies receive a pass for last season’s struggles after their season ended abruptly in 2023 due to off-the-court issues.
New Mexico State faces three non-D-I schools this season, but it also travels to Dayton, UNLV and Texas. The Aggies will likely be heavy underdogs in those spots.
Top scorer Christian Cook returns as the guard averaged 11.3 points per game. Forward Robert Carpenter (9.7 ppg) is back after being suspended for the final nine games of last season after he punched a Liberty player.
UTEP Miners
The Miners were on the verge of stealing an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament despite a 7-9 record in the conference.
UTEP was actually 4-9 in C-USA action before winning its final three regular season games. It then followed that up with victories over Liberty and Sam Houston to reach the conference championship.
Unfortunately, the Miners couldn’t hold onto a seven-point second-half lead in a 78-71 defeat to Western Kentucky, putting an end to their season.
Joe Golding made a name for himself as the head coach of Abilene Christian, which pulled off the famous upset of Texas in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Golding ascended to El Paso after a 10-year run with the Wildcats and is seeking his first tournament appearance with the Miners.
UTEP led the nation in forced turnovers last season, posting a 25.9% turnover percentage on defense. That included a 15.5% steal rate, which also ranked first in the country.
However, the Miners couldn’t convert a lot of those turnovers into ATS wins, as they started 2-12-1 against the spread and covered 12 times in 31 lined contests.
Two of UTEP’s top three scorers from last season are gone. However, Golding dipped into the transfer portal to pick up Tarleton State guard Devon Barnes, who shot nearly 40% from 3-point range.
Forward Otis Frazier III is the lone returning Miner to average double figures last season (10.6 PPG), although he scored a total of 17 points in the three conference tournament games.
UTEP owned the top defensive efficiency numbers in league play, but the 3-point line was the great separator. The Miners limited C-USA opponents to 32.2% from 3-point range (which was first in the league), but they ranked last in stopping the 2-point shot, allowing nearly 55% shooting.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks
Following a quick two-year stay in the ASUN, Jacksonville State moved up to Conference USA prior to last season. The Gamecocks were fairly competitive in league play at 6-7 before dropping their final three games and ultimately going one-and-done in the conference tournament.
Jacksonville State’s two most impressive non-conference victories came in consecutive road triumphs at Little Rock and Tarleton State, two teams that each finished second in their respective leagues.
The Gamecocks also pulled off a home win over Sam Houston and swept Liberty, but late-season home favorite losses to UTEP and New Mexico State put the finishing touches on a disappointing campaign.
Gone is last season’s top scorer in the conference, KyKy Tandy, who posted 17.8 points per game in his lone campaign with the Gamecocks.
Jacksonville State didn’t have a single other player average in double figures, as its top returning scorer from last season is senior forward Marcellus Brigham Jr., who put up 7.5 points per game.
The Gamecocks ranked 321st in the country last season in Adjusted Tempo, as they cashed the under in eight of their first nine games.
However, that number went the other way when conference play arrived, as Jacksonville State put together an 11-6 mark to the over in 17 league contests.
FIU Panthers
FIU finished with a winning record in each of Jeremy Ballard’s first two seasons as head coach. However, things have gone south in Miami, as the Panthers have slumped to a losing mark in each of the past four seasons, capped off by an 11-22 record last season.
When breaking down the 11 victories, one came against non-D-I school Trinity College and two came against teams in the bottom 20 in the nation (Houston Christian and LIU), according to KenPom.
All five of FIU’s wins in conference play came at home, while it managed three covers as heavy road underdogs against Liberty, Louisiana Tech and UTEP.
The stain on this FIU team is its 3-point defense, which ranked dead last in the country by allowing opponents to shoot 40.3% from downtown. When playing conference opponents, the Panthers allowed 44.6% shooting from 3-point land, including 45% or higher in six road losses.
FIU’s top two scorers from last season (guards Arturo Dean and Javaunte Hawkins) have exited.
The Panthers begin this season with a pair of nice road tests at Rice and Southern Utah, who each finished with losing records last season.
Kennesaw State Owls
The newest addition to the Conference USA this season also owns the longest odds to capture the league title.
Kennesaw State is listed at 100/1 at BetMGM to win the C-USA. It's two seasons removed from winning the ASUN title and losing a five-point decision to Xavier in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Owls struggled last season in Antoine Pettway’s first season at the helm. They replaced Amir Abdur-Rahim, who parlayed his tourney appearance into the USF head coaching job.
Pettway’s Owls finished 15-16 last season, as a 3-0 start in ASUN play disappeared quickly due to a 3-10 run. They ultimately got bounced by Jacksonville in the conference tournament.
Kennesaw State started the 2023-24 campaign on an impressive 7-2 ATS run in its first nine lined games, but it closed with a 2-16-1 ATS mark in its final 19 matchups, including eight outright losses as a favorite.
The first four Division I opponents for the Owls this season all owned losing records in 2023-24, so those will be important games to grab out of the gate.
The big test comes during Thanksgiving with three games in Alberta against UC Irvine, Towson and Kent State, three solid mid-majors in a three-day stretch.
Kennesaw State pushed the pace last season, as it owned the fastest tempo in the nation.
The Owls need to clean up their 3-point defense, which sat at 348th in the country at 37.2%.
Veteran guard Terrell Burden is gone from the Owls after a successful five-year run at the helm of the offense, but second-leading scorer Simeon Cottle returns, looking to improve on his 15.6 point-per-game average from last season.
C-USA Winner & Long Shot Futures
Liberty definitely deserves a look at +325 to win the conference after going through the first-year transition.
Obviously, the Flames need to improve on the road in league play, but I like their odds.
For a long shot to win the league, let’s keep an eye on UTEP, which made an incredible run to reach the Conference USA title game last season.
The Miners are listed at 10/1 and will be a solid team defensively that forces turnovers. That's always a good sign for a team to win three games in three days in March.
