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Give Conference USA credit for thinking outside the arena. Hold the conference tournament at a football stadium? Why not? The C-USA tourney has generated little buzz and attracted few fans in recent years on its own, so the league will play the next two at The Star in Frisco, the Dallas Cowboys’ glitzy practice facility. Shake up the way teams schedule? What’s to lose? C-USA has been a one-bid league, so it hired consultant Mark Adams to devise ways to crack the at-large code with smarter scheduling. Just 23rd in conference RPI last year, C-USA remains challenged by its vast geography and dragged down by its bottom tier of teams. But as another season begins, everyone’s unbeaten and hopeful. Here are some questions heading into the season: Can anyone take down Middle Tennessee? The Blue Raiders blew through the league last year, finishing 17-1 and 31-5 overall, then won a first-round NCAA game for the second straight year. Forwards Reggie Upshaw and JaCorey Williams are gone, but with guard Giddy Potts back and Alabama transfer Nick King arriving, Middle is again the favorite – just not as prohibitive a favorite. “There’s not a gap this year the same way there was last year,” Old Dominion coach Jeff Jones said. “They were head-and-shoulders above everyone.” read more: https://pilotonline.com/sports/college/old-dominion/basketball/questions-as-conference-usa-basketball-tips-off/article_4a738da6-f7cd-5822-9c75-e51741104df9.html

Should be a competitive conference race https://thedailydragon.com/2016/09/20/2016-17-preseason-all-cusa-basketball-awards/ From a UAB perspective

The Conference USA basketball schedule begins this week and for the first time in a long time there's no clear favorite to take the regular season title. For so long, Memphis was almost always the prohibitive favorite to run away with the championship. The Tigers are gone, leaving C-USA with somewhat of an identity crisis. If there's anything that we can take away from non-conference play, it's the idea that this league is much more balanced than it has been in the past. There have been some impressive wins and some head-scratching losses early in the season. Among the impressive: UAB beat North Carolina. Charlotte beat Kansas State and Michigan. UTEP beat Tennessee. Louisiana Tech won at Oklahoma State. North Texas throttled Texas A&M, 61-41. Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2014/01/06/5237151/which-team-will-step-up-in-c-usa.html#storylink=cpy

Read more: http://www.goblueraiders.com/content.cfm/id/65131

1. Conference USA coaches and athletic directors met in Destin, Fla., Monday and, according to multiple sources, there is a strong movement to move the 2013 conference tournament from Memphis to Tulsa. Memphis is leaving for the Big East after next season and while it would make more economic sense to keep the event where it is, there isn't a lot of goodwill toward the Tigers to give them an added advantage in their final season in the conference. A decision on the tournament will be made next month. Read More: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/59071/3-point-shot-c-usa-tourney-on-the-move