By Benjamin Lampkin
Predicted Order of Finish
Memphis
TCU
Tulane
Houston
South Florida
Southern Miss
UAB
Memphis
No Dajuan Wagner. No Kelly Wise. Not even a Scooter McFadgon.The recruiting class? Well, no Amare Stoudamire, who signed withthe Tigers but opted for the NBA Draft instead, doesn’t bode wellfor John Calipari and the Tigers, who undoubtedly would have had atop five freshman class with him. But don’t count out the otherItalian coach in Conference USA. In the weaker national division,playing the likes of UAB and Southern Miss twice will helptremendously, and having a true 7-footer in Earl Barron never hurtseither. Will the Tigers win C-USA? Not likely, but a deeper runinto the conference tournament and a berth in the NCAA Tournamentare high possibilities.
Players to watch: Earl Barron, Antonio Burk
Games to watch: Non-conference- Nov. 14 Syracuse; Conference-Feb. 19 at Louisville
TCU
Replacing legendary head coach Billy Tubbs will be NeilDougherty, a quiet man who spent the last 6 seasons learning as anassistant under Roy Williams at Kansas. Dougherty inherits a teamthat is returning four players who averaged double figures inscoring. Leading the way will be Junior Blount, a senior guardcapable of putting up huge scoring numbers, as he did last yearwhen he hit for 28 points in a loss to Louisville. The Horned Frogshave a legitimate chance to claim first place in the nationaldivision.
Players to watch: Junior Blount, Corey Santee
Games to watch: Non-conference- Dec. 3 Texas Tech; Conference-Jan. 11 Cincinnati
Tulane
With 12 returning players, including all five starters, Tulaneis looking to improve upon its 14-15 record last season. That’svery much a possibility, with senior forward Brandon Brown manningthe post. Brown averaged nearly 15 ppg as well as 7.4 rpg, and withguards Brandon Spann and Waitari Marsh feeding him in the post andcombining for 25 ppg, the Green Wave, under head coach ShawnFinney, should finish in the top three in the Americandivision.
Player to watch: Brandon Brown
Games to watch: Non-conference- Dec. 10 Kentucky; Conference-Jan. 7 at Memphis
Houston
After quietly reaching the semifinals of the Conference USAtournament last season, this year’s Cougars could once again findtheir way to a deep spot in March. Ray McCallum, starting his thirdseason in Houston, is putting together a decent program. While theCougars lost four players from a year ago who scored in doublefigures, senior forward Louis Truscott nearly averaged adouble-double (13.1, 9.3) and will lead a young team that featuressix freshman or sophomores, including former Indiana guard AndreOwens, who will be eligibile this season after sitting out in2001-2002.
Players to watch: Louis Truscott, Andre Owens
Games to watch: Non-conference- Jan. 1 at Texas Tech;Conference- March 1 TCU
South Florida
Like Memphis, South Florida is dealing with the loss of its twobest players. B.B. Waldon and Altron Jackson combined to form aformidable duo for years, yet they failed to register anysignificant impact in the postseason. Head coach Seth Greenbergmust find a way to find scoring from the outside, as well asreplace the versatility that Waldon and Jackson gave him. WillMcDonald, a 6-11 center, is one of the better big men in theconference, while Reggie Kohn provides steady play and solidoutside shooting from the point A surprising finish for the Bullswould be anywhere inside the top five in the division.
Player to watch: Will McDonald, Reggie Kohn Games to watch:Non-conference- Dec. 8 at Florida; Conference- Feb. 22 Memphis
Southern Miss
Things will probably go from bad to worse for the Golden Eagles,who finished with a 10-17 mark last season (only four wins inC-USA), and lost their leading scorer and rebounder, Elvin Mims.Head coach James Green has a .548 win percentage in his six seasonsin Hattiesburg, but his seventh sees his team return just 30 ppgand 16 rebounds, with guard Clement Carter offering the onlyreturning threat at the offensive end. Maybe Brett Favre will visitand bring something, anything, to cheer for.
Player to watch: Clement Carter
Games to watch: Non-conference- Dec. 18 at Western Kentucky;Conference- Feb. 4 UAB
UAB
Also vying for a finish in the dungeon of Conference USA will bethe Blazers. Much like Southern Miss, UAB returns virtually noscoring (Morris Finley, 11.3 ppg), rebounding, or even a shred ofhope for a winning season. And like Southern Miss, their gamesagainst each other may prove to be their only shot at getting aC-USA victory. It will be a toss-up to see who will take home thecoveted last-place trophy for the second rate division ofConference USA.
Player to watch: Morris Finley
Games to watch: Non-conference- Nov. 27 at UNLV; Conference-Jan. 18 Southern Miss.
