Fact or Fiction?: The CUSA has caught the SEC as a basketball conference
By Paul Jordan
It’s been a tough week for the former basketball powerhouse formerly known as the SEC. On Monday, the Florida Gators were upset by the Jacksonville Dolphins. On Tuesday, The Tennessee Volunteers lost to USC. And today, South Carolina were blown out by Furman 91-75. What in the name of tournament seedlings is happening here?
Could it be that John Calipari actually took s step down when he traded in the CUSA for the SEC? Yes, I know he went for the lure and the tradition of the University of Kentucky .., and there is nothing in the CUSA that comes close to the Kentucky Wildcats but what about the rest of the conference brethren? Could it be that the CUSA may actually be a better basketball conference than the SEC this year?
So far this season, SEC teams have lost to the likes of the Jacksonville Dolphins, Furman Paladins, Oakland Golden Grizzlies, Charlotte 49ers, Dayton Flyers, Florida Atlantic Owls, East Tennessee State Buccaneers, Nicholls State Colonels, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, North Texas Mean Green, St Peters Peacocks, North Carolina-Asheville Bulldogs, Samford Bulldogs, Campbell Fighting Camels, and the Presbyterian Blue Hose. Actually, the Jacksonville Dolphins are on that list twice as they knocked off Auburn as well.
Whew. That is a whole lot of non BCS conference losses to teams that are usually known as cupcakes. But how have the conferences fared head to head? So far, the SEC and the CUSA have met up six times and the results are well … mixed:
- UCF 57 Florida 54
- Memphis 70 LSU 61
- Ole Miss 86 Southern Miss 81
- UAB 70 Arkansas 65
- Georgia 66 UAB 64
- LSU 73 Houston 57
Well that got us nowhere as the series is tied at 3-3. Looking at the top half of each conference, both conferences boast of six teams that had won at least eight games. The SEC had three teams ranked in the AP poll and CUSA had two. Consider the fact that those numbers may be even after this weekend as both Florida and Tennessee should fall out of the top 25 but Vanderbilt should be headed in. In the CUSA, Memphis and UCF appear to be solid in the polls, so that gives us two teams each ranked after this weekend.
And looking at the records, the top half of the CUSA boast a 54-9 record while the top six in the SEC are 51-13. Granted, the SEC still plays a bit tougher schedule than the CUSA, but there is no doubt that the gap in talent between the SEC and CUSA is closing rapidly.
Could the CUSA actually get more teams in the big dance than the SEC? Even that stat seems to be getting closer over the past three seasons. In 2008, the SEC sent 6 teams to the NCAA compared to just one for CUSA. In 2009, it was SEC 3-1 and SEC 4-2 last year.
So has the CUSA pulled even with the SEC in basketball? In the past, that question would have been blasphemous, but in 2011, this is going to be one of the big stories to watch in college basketball and all eyes will be watching to see if the power balance has shifted.
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