CBB Review prepares you for every conference tournament leading up to Selection Sunday on Mar. 16. Up next: The CUSA Tournament.
Heading into this season, it was seen as anyone’s league. Five teams got first-place votes, but Louisiana Tech finished at the top of the poll. They finished a disappointing 9-9, while Liberty, who were picked to finish tied for 5th, won the sole title with a 13-5 record.
Western Kentucky won the CUSA tournament last year, but they were 7th in conference play. It’s very possible we’ll see a new champ this time around. Since half the league departed for the American conference, things have been different, but there is a lot of parity in this conference, which should make this tournament very exciting.
The CUSA tournament takes place over five days, with two days for the quarterfinals. Last year, the three and five seeds made the final. Will we see madness again, or will Liberty take care of business?
2025 CUSA Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Jaron Pierre Jr., Jacksonville State
Freshman of the Year: Adrian Wooley, Kennesaw State
Transfer of the Year: Jaron Pierre Jr., Jacksonville State
Coach of the Year: Ray Harper, Jacksonville State
First Team:
- G: Jaron Pierre Jr., Jacksonville State (21.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, 0.6 SPG)
- G: Adrian Wolley, Kennesaw State (18.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.5 SPG)
- G: Don McHenry, Western Kentucky (17.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.5 SPG)
- F: Zach Cleveland, Liberty (10.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.1 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG)
- F: Daniel Batcho, Louisiana Tech (16.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 0.5 APG, 2.0 BPG)
Second Team:
- G: Jestin Porter, Middle Tennessee (14.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.2 SPG)
- G: Simeon Cottle, Kennesaw State (17.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 3.1 APG, 0.8 SPG)
- G: Lamar Wilkerson, Sam Houston State (20.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG)
- F: Essam Mostafa, Middle Tennessee (14.2 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.0 BPG)
- F: Babacar Faye, Western Kentucky (15.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 0.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.7 BPG)
2025 CUSA Tournament Simulation
First Round – Tues., Mar. 11
8. UTEP (17-14, 7-11) vs. 9. Sam Houston State (13-18, 6-12) – 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+
At one point, UTEP was 7-4 in conference play. Then, they lost seven in a row, including a two-point road loss to Sam Houston five days ago. Lamar Wilkerson has been phenomenal down the stretch, including a 29-point performance in that game, and he’ll do enough to lead this team to the next round.
Ariel’s pick: 9. Sam Houston State
7. Western Kentucky (17-14, 8-10) vs. 10. FIU (9-22, 3-15) – 8:00 p.m. CT on ESPN+
FIU was comfortably the worst team in this league, finishing three games below 9th place. They went 1-13 away from home but did beat Western Kentucky by 19 when they first played. Don’t expect them to get that second win, though.
Ariel’s pick: 7. Western Kentucky
Quarterfinals – Wed., Mar. 12
1. Liberty (25-6, 13-5) vs. 9. Sam Houston State – 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+
This Liberty team is good. They beat Kansas State and McNeese in the non-conference and have one of the best defenses in the country. Sam Houston State has the talent to keep things close, but this Liberty team, whose whole rotation are upperclassmen, won’t let an upset occur this early.
Ariel’s pick: 1. Liberty
2. Jacksonville State (20-11, 12-6) vs. 7. Western Kentucky – 8:00 p.m. CT on ESPN+
Jaron Pierre Jr. actually had his lowest scoring output of the season when they played the first time, scoring 12 points on 5-18 shooting. Jacksonville State still won. That should tell you all you need to know. It won’t be a blowout, but Jacksonville State will still win comfortably.
Ariel’s pick: 2. Jacksonville State
Quarterfinals – Thu., Mar. 13
4. New Mexico State (17-14, 10-8) vs. 5. Kennesaw State (18-13, 10-8) – 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+
This is one of those weird matchups where the road team won both of their matchups and did so comfortably, winning by double digits both times. This game is truly a toss-up and will come down to who sets the tempo early. NMSU plays at one of the slowest tempos in the country, while Kennesaw State is one of the fastest.
Ariel’s pick: 4. New Mexico State
3. Middle Tennessee (21-10, 12-6) vs. 6. Louisiana Tech (20-11, 9-9) – 8:00 p.m. CT on ESPN+
This will be an awesome game between two great bigs, Daniel Batcho and Essam Mostafa. Batcho absolutely dominated MTSU the first time these two teams played, going for 25 points and 12 rebounds, as well as two blocks. The second time, he fouled out in 23 minutes, and they still found a way to beat MTSU by 11 on the road.
It’s hard to beat a team three times in a season, but trust the preseason player of the year and preseason pick to win.
Ariel’s pick: 6. Louisiana Tech
Semifinals – Fri., Mar. 13
1. Liberty vs. 4. New Mexico State – 5:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports
New Mexico State is a dangerous 4 seed. Per Barttorvik, this team has the 2nd highest chance to win the tournament despite being the 4 seed. New Mexico can win this game if it forces turnovers. Liberty is in the top 50 in the country in least turnovers per game, and that’s a big reason they swept them in the regular season.
If Liberty gets up to 13-15 turnovers, it’s anyone’s game. You have to assume that won’t be the case, though, and Liberty will be back in the finals looking for their first tournament appearance in nearly five years.
Ariel’s pick: 1. Liberty
2. Jacksonville State vs. 6. Louisiana Tech – 8:00 p.m. CT on CBS Sports
In big-time games, you have to look at the big-time players. Jaron Pierre is just that, scoring 34 points on 10 baskets in their win against Louisiana Tech in mid February. Pierre is a top-five point-per-game scorer in the country, and like we saw a month ago, he will put the team on his back.
Ariel’s pick: 2. Jacksonville State
Finals – Sat., Mar. 14
1. Liberty vs. 2. Jacksonville State – 7:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports
Here we go. A one vs two matchup for a chance to dance. The first time these two teams played, Jax State won 72-61. The second time, Liberty came out top 59-55.
Liberty figured out Pierre. He shot a combined 7-35 from the field in their two games. So the question for Jacksonville State is, who will step up? Qeul’Ron house did it in the win, scoring 18 points. He’s not a guarantee to do so again, and with no other players averaging over 10 a game, Liberty will put a ton of pressure on the rest of the team and let the defense into offense.
Don’t expect a high-scoring final, but Liberty has the DNA and experience to make yet another NCAA Tournament.
Ariel’s pick: 1. Liberty