The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders held off several Conference USA foes to finish atop the conference when the regular season wrapped up. The conference is likely to only get one berth into March Madness, so Middle Tennessee must be able to pull off the feat again in the Conference USA Tournament in order to go dancing.
They finished just one game ahead of the Old Dominion Monarchs, and they will be one of the main contenders in the tournament. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are the other team that seems to have a realistic shot at claiming the Conference USA Tournament crown. For smaller conferences, this tournament means everything and Middle Tennessee hopes a great season won’t go to waste by stumbling in the next few days.
Conference USA Tournament Schedule
Don't miss the hardwood action from the The Ford Center at The Star from Wednesday, March 7, 2018 through Sunday, March 10 on Stadium TV and CBSSN. We'll have NCAA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game of the Conference USA Tournament.
First Round - Wednesday, March 7th
No. 8 FIU vs. No. 9 Southern Miss, 7 p.m.
No. 5 UTSA vs. No. 12 UTEP, 7:30 p.m.
No. 7 North Texas vs. No. 10 La Tech, 9:30 p.m.
No. 6 UAB vs. No. 11 FAU, 10 p.m.
Quarterfinals - Thursday, March 8th
No. 1 Middle Tennessee vs. TBD, 7 p.m.
No. 4 Marshall vs.TBD, 7:30 p.m.
No. 2 Old Dominion vs. TBD, 9:30 p.m.
No. 3 WKU vs. TBD, 10 p.m.
Semifinals - Friday, March 9th
TBD at 1:30 p.m.
TBD at 4 p.m.
Championship - Saturday, March 10th
TBD at 8:30 p.m.
Odds Analysis
Middle Tennessee is a solid choice to win the Conference USA Tournament, listed at +180 odds to take down all comers. Western Kentucky and Old Dominion are given identical odds behind them at +400.
The rest are longshots. The Marshall Thundering Herd are listed at +700, followed by the UT-San Antonio Roadrunners at +1000 and the UAB Blazers at +1400. Teams that would be a huge surprise to win the Conference USA Tournament title include the North Texas Mean Green, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, the Florida International Golden Panthers, the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, the Florida Atlantic Owls, the UTEP Miners and the Rice Owls.
Bubble Watch
Middle Tennessee has a 24-6 overall record and went 16-2 in Conference USA action. Old Dominion also has gone 24-6 overall and 15-3 in the conference. However, neither has a bunch of quality wins and are unlikely to make March Madness without winning this conference tournament and securing the automatic bid.
Middle Tennessee may have a case if it makes the finals of the Conference USA and falls short, but it seems unlikely the selection committee would take the Blue Raiders over a bigger-conference team.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
MIddle Tennessee would be sorely disappointed if it fell short after winning the regular season Conference USA crown, but it won’t have to fret. The Blue Raiders are the best team in the conference and they are the choice to come away with the tournament championship.
There will be a lot of chalk victories in the tournament as Old Dominion should make it to the finals. The Monarchs will keep this one close, but Middle Tennessee should make enough shots down the stretch to capture the victory.
NCAA Odds: Middle Tennessee 74, Old Dominion 70
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