The last two seasons of Conference USA men’s basketball featured a first-ever regular-season champion.
Florida Atlantic won its first CUSA regular-season title in 2023 prior to its historic run to the Final Four, only to fall to San Diego State on a Lamont Butler buzzer-beater. Sam Houston captured the CUSA regular-season title last season during its first year as a member of the league.
Will we see another first-ever regular-season conference champion in 2025?
If college basketball betting odds are any indication, there’s a strong chance we will. Liberty currently sits as the favorite to win the CUSA regular-season title, which will be its first ever. The Flames joined CUSA ahead of the 2023 campaign.
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Odds as of Jan. 8
Conference USA Basketball Odds (Regular-Season Champion)
| Team | BetMGM Odds |
| Liberty | -120 |
| UTEP | +450 |
| Western Kentucky | +650 |
| Louisiana Tech | +900 |
| Middle Tennessee State | +1000 |
| New Mexico State | +2000 |
| Sam Houston | +3000 |
| Jacksonville State | +3000 |
| Kennesaw State | +3000 |
| Florida International | +15000 |
Conference USA Basketball Predictions
Five different teams received first-place votes in the CUSA Preseason Coaches Poll. None of those teams currently sit atop the league’s standings.
It’s early in the conference slate, but UTEP and New Mexico State have started CUSA play off strong by winning both of their first two league games. This includes victories over Louisiana Tech — who was the preseason favorite — for both teams.
While I believe the season-ending injury to LA Tech big man Will Jeffress hurts the Bulldogs’ chances of finishing the regular season as the top team in the league, there’s still potential there, especially with preseason Player of the Year Daniel Batcho leading the way. He’ll need to carry some extra weight if the Bulldogs expect to get there.
They’ll certainly need to start shooting the ball better if they do. The Bulldogs are shooting 25% from the 3-point line in conference play thus far, with both games being on the road.
Although it surrendered a 16-point second-half lead and suffered a frustrating home loss to Western Kentucky, Liberty (13-2 overall, 1-1 CUSA play) has looked like the most consistent team in the conference so far this season. The Flames are shooting at the highest clip in the league (50%) and have the best scoring defense in the league, limiting opponents to just 59.3 points per game. According to KenPom, they rank 39th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency (97.6), and first in the conference.
UTEP (12-3, 2-0) has also been playing solid basketball this season and nearly knocked off a Louisville team that’ll likely make the NCAA tournament. The Miners are playing with great chemistry and have been stout on defense (65.9 PPG). They are currently the second favorite to win the league and offer some intriguing value.
However, their lack of depth in the front court could be an issue and their rebounding woes will eventually catch up to them. The Miners have been outrebounded in 12 of their 15 games and are statistically the worst-rebounding team in the league. They’ve also only played three games on the road and have lost two of them, so it’ll be interesting to see how they handle conference road trips.
Along with Liberty and UTEP, Kennesaw State (9-5, 1-0) has also started the season better than anticipated and leads the league in scoring (82.8 PPG). The duo of Simeon Cottle (18.9 PPG) and Adrian Wooley (17.3 PPG) could pose problems for opposing defenses throughout the season. Keep an eye on this squad.
While taking KSU to win the conference at 30/1 could be a fun bet that would really pay off, I think UTEP might offer the best value right now. I expect the Miners to figure out their rebounding issues — they need to if they want to win — and to keep grinding out victories.
Their upcoming two games against New Mexico State and Liberty will be telling.
