Post by Whup Em All on Mar 13, 2023 15:17:38 GMT -6
It was a disappointing 2022-23 season for the Jax State men as well as several CUSA teams, but it still looks like CUSA will be quite a step up in competition from the ASUN, especially in 2024, when Kennesaw State joins us.
(Weird to say that, considering the Owls were expected to be one of the "bad" teams just a season ago...)
Here's how the CUSA22 standings ended up. Teams moving to the AAC are grayed out, and returning teams are in boldface:
TEAM - CUSA - OVERALL
FAU - 18-2 - 31-3
UNT - 16-4 - 26-7
UAB - 14-6 - 25-9
MTSU - 11-9 - 19-14
Charlotte - 9-11 - 18-14
Rice - 8-12 - 18-15
WKU - 8-12 - 17-16
FIU - 8-12 - 14-18
La Tech - 7-13 - 15-18
UTEP - 7-13 - 14-18
UTSA - 4-16 - 10-22
MTSU and WKU were close to the 20-win threshold, but both fell short. Everyone else hovered around the 15-win mark. Now, let's add the teams coming in, including KSU, even though they're still another full season away. The rankings shown are the final regular season KenPom rankings for the 2022-23 season:
CUSA24
48. Liberty 26-8 (NIT)
69. SHSU 24-7 (NIT)
121. MTSU 19-14
127. KSU 26-8 (NCAA)
173. La Tech 15-18
186. WKU 17-16
187. NMSU 9-15
197. UTEP 14-18
222. FIU 14-18
233. Jax St 13-18
The takeaway from this is not just that Jax State needs to do much better in hoops from now on. That's kind of a given for anyone who watched this past season.
But as strong as the top of the ASUN was this season -- EKU and Lipscomb also cracked the 20-win threshold -- the bottom was just as terrible. UCA was embarrassingly awful, and several other teams only neared the 15-win mark by virtue of crazy weak scheduling, and their KenPoms reflected that. We were actually mid-tier in the ASUN if you go by KenPom.
That goes away in CUSA24. The Gamecocks would've been the weakest in this group by a solid margin, with only FIU there to keep us company. And even they were 11 spots higher.
Meanwhile, a few teams in the middle of the pack were expected to finish MUCH higher this season. WKU, whose coach just resigned, was picked 2nd in the CUSA preseason poll. NMSU was picked 2nd in the WAC. If these two teams turn it around over the next two seasons, without any noticeable dropoff from the new CUSA teams, then CUSA24 promises to be incredibly strong.
So good news, bad news. The bad first: The Gamecocks will really have their work cut out for them from now on, just to remain competitive.
The good news? As long as the strong teams can maintain what they have going, and as long as the teams with disappointing 2022-23 seasons (including JSU) turn it around, CUSA promises to be just as strong in hoops as expected. Maybe stronger. And that could potentially mean we could scratch and claw ourselves into lofty "multi-bid" status sooner than later.
It's an uphill climb, but at least it's a realistic goal.
(Weird to say that, considering the Owls were expected to be one of the "bad" teams just a season ago...)
Here's how the CUSA22 standings ended up. Teams moving to the AAC are grayed out, and returning teams are in boldface:
TEAM - CUSA - OVERALL
FAU - 18-2 - 31-3
UNT - 16-4 - 26-7
UAB - 14-6 - 25-9
MTSU - 11-9 - 19-14
Charlotte - 9-11 - 18-14
Rice - 8-12 - 18-15
WKU - 8-12 - 17-16
FIU - 8-12 - 14-18
La Tech - 7-13 - 15-18
UTEP - 7-13 - 14-18
UTSA - 4-16 - 10-22
MTSU and WKU were close to the 20-win threshold, but both fell short. Everyone else hovered around the 15-win mark. Now, let's add the teams coming in, including KSU, even though they're still another full season away. The rankings shown are the final regular season KenPom rankings for the 2022-23 season:
CUSA24
48. Liberty 26-8 (NIT)
69. SHSU 24-7 (NIT)
121. MTSU 19-14
127. KSU 26-8 (NCAA)
173. La Tech 15-18
186. WKU 17-16
187. NMSU 9-15
197. UTEP 14-18
222. FIU 14-18
233. Jax St 13-18
The takeaway from this is not just that Jax State needs to do much better in hoops from now on. That's kind of a given for anyone who watched this past season.
But as strong as the top of the ASUN was this season -- EKU and Lipscomb also cracked the 20-win threshold -- the bottom was just as terrible. UCA was embarrassingly awful, and several other teams only neared the 15-win mark by virtue of crazy weak scheduling, and their KenPoms reflected that. We were actually mid-tier in the ASUN if you go by KenPom.
That goes away in CUSA24. The Gamecocks would've been the weakest in this group by a solid margin, with only FIU there to keep us company. And even they were 11 spots higher.
Meanwhile, a few teams in the middle of the pack were expected to finish MUCH higher this season. WKU, whose coach just resigned, was picked 2nd in the CUSA preseason poll. NMSU was picked 2nd in the WAC. If these two teams turn it around over the next two seasons, without any noticeable dropoff from the new CUSA teams, then CUSA24 promises to be incredibly strong.
So good news, bad news. The bad first: The Gamecocks will really have their work cut out for them from now on, just to remain competitive.
The good news? As long as the strong teams can maintain what they have going, and as long as the teams with disappointing 2022-23 seasons (including JSU) turn it around, CUSA promises to be just as strong in hoops as expected. Maybe stronger. And that could potentially mean we could scratch and claw ourselves into lofty "multi-bid" status sooner than later.
It's an uphill climb, but at least it's a realistic goal.
