CBB Review prepares you for every conference tournament leading up to Selection Sunday on Mar. 15. Up next: The CUSA Tournament.
For a while, it seemed like Liberty was going to run through this league, and everyone would be fighting for second. They started 15-0 in conference play! However, they dropped three of their final five, and while they still won the conference by four games, it’s much more wide open than it was.
Liberty won last year, beating Jacksonville State by 12 to claim its first CUSA title. Kaden Metheny looks to make back-to-back all-conference tournament teams.
Don’t count out Sam Houston State, Western Kentucky, and even Louisiana Tech. All four are capable of winning this thing. This might not be the most chaotic tournament, but it could lead to a really strong semifinal and final.
2026 CUSA Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Zach Cleveland, Liberty
Freshman of the Year: Christian Bliss, Delaware
Transfer of the Year: Mostapha El Moutaouakkil, Jax State
Coach of the Year: Ritchie McKay, Liberty
First Team:
- G: Brett Decker, Liberty (16.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG)
- G: Teagan Moore, Western Kentucky (18.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG)
- G: Mostapha El Moutaouakkil, Jax State (19.4 PPG, 7.1 RPFG, 1.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG)
- G: Corey Stephenson, FIU (17.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG)
- F: Zach Cleveland, Liberty (11.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 6.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.3 BPG)
Second Team:
- G: Po’Boigh King, Sam Houston State (14.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.7 SPG)
- G: DJ Dudley, Louisiana Tech (14.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.9 SPG)
- G: RJ Johnson, Kennesaw State (14.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.5 SPG)
- G: Christian Bliss, Delaware (16.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.8 SPG)
- F: Keith Palek, Missouri State (17.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.4 BPG)
2025 CUSA Tournament Simulation
First Round – Tuesday, Mar. 10
8. FIU (15-16, 8-12) vs. 9. Missouri State (14-17, 8-12) – 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+
Missouri State went 0-7 in February. They bounced back with a win over Western Kentucky in March, but this team has lost all momentum after a favorable start to conference play.
Ariel’s Pick: 8. FIU
7. Jacksonville State (15-16, 10-10) vs. 10. New Mexico State (14-17, 8-12) – 8 p.m. CT on ESPN+
A true toss-up. Barttorvik has the spread on this game as -0.1 for Jacksonville State. These two teams played twice in their final six games of the season, and New Mexico State won both times. It’s hard to beat a team three times in a row, but New Mexico State will make an exception.
Ariel’s Pick: 10. New Mexico State
Quarterfinals Day 1 – Wednesday, Mar. 11
1. Liberty (25-6, 17-3) vs. 8. FIU – 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+
Interestingly, both of their matchup went to overtime, which you wouldn’t expect from a one seed and an eight seed. This game will be first team to 90 points, and when you have five guys who average double digits like Liberty, that tiebreaker goes to the one seed.
Ariel’s Pick: 1. Liberty
2. Sam Houston State (21-10, 13-7) vs. 10. New Mexico State – 8 p.m. CT on ESPN+
Sam Houston State had a lot of head-scratching losses this year, like the 3-point loss to Delaware and a double-digit loss to this New Mexico State team early in the year. Sam Houston has lost two straight, and New Mexico State has won two straight. There’s a good chance Sam Houston just comes out and dominates this New Mexico State team, but let’s get crazy and go with the upset here!
Ariel’s Pick: 10. New Mexico State
Quarterfinals Day 2 – Thursday, Mar. 12
4. Louisiana Tech (18-13, 11-9) vs. 5. Middle Tennessee (17-14, 11-9) – 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+
These two teams played on Jan. 2. The final score? 88-51 MTSU. 12 days later, they played again, and LA Tech won 59-58. That’s what you call making adjustments. While it’s been a few games since these two teams faced each other, those adjustments will show again, and Talvin Hester will lead his team to victory.
Ariel’s Pick: 4. Louisiana Tech
3. Western Kentucky (18-13, 11-9) vs. 6. Kennesaw State (18-13, 10-10) – 8 p.m. CT on ESPN+
Another game that is truly a toss-up. Barttorvik has the spread at 0.0! Kennesaw State beat Western Kentucky by 16 on the road in their only matchup, thanks to 31 points from RJ Johnson. With that being said, the way Teagan Moore ended the season, Kennesaw State doesn’t have a guy to match up with him, barring another magical game from Johnson.
Ariel’s Pick: 3. Western Kentucky
Semifinals – Friday, Mar. 13
1. Liberty vs. 4. Louisiana Tech – 11:30 a.m. CT on CBS Sports Network
Louisiana Tech beat this Liberty team in the penultimate game of the season on the road, 76-71. AJ Bates, who normally averages about 11 a game, went off for 34 points, and Brett Decker scored 30. Don’t expect Bates to do so again, and expect Zach Cleveland to score more than 7 points in 37 minutes.
Ariel’s Pick: 1. Liberty
3. Western Kentucky vs. 10. New Mexico State – 2 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network
Can New Mexico State’s magic continue? It’ll come down to whether they can stop Moore. He scored 23 points on 8-13 shooting in a 23-point win last time they faced each other, and he should put together a similar performance in this one. WKU onto the final.
Ariel’s Pick: 3. Western Kentucky
Finals – Saturday, Mar. 14
1. Liberty vs. 3. Western Kentucky – 7:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network
Nothing better than a final with three of the top four players in the conference. Liberty looks to become the first team since Middle Tennessee in 2016 and 2017 to win back-to-back titles, while Western Kentucky looks to make it two in three years.
Western Kentucky obliterated Liberty when they faced off on Jan. 21. They won by 21, scoring 94 on the road and holding Decker to just five points. Liberty’s defense has been horrendous in its final five games, and if they don’t use this time to improve on that, we’ll see a similar result in this one. With that being said, Liberty’s starting five is experienced, and they know what it takes to win this game, because several of them did last year. It’s going to be close, but Ritchie McKay and co. will cut down the nets and represent the CUSA in the NCAA Tournament.
Ariel’s Pick: 1. Liberty