Tiger coach Josh Pastner has gotten testy of late on the subject of Conference USA and its strength relative to other leagues across the country. No chatter here. We’re going to let the numbers (courtesy of the good folks at RealTimeRPI) do the talking.
The 12 C-USA teams are listed in order of RPI ranking, followed by their record (against Division I opponents) and strength of schedule.
RPI #40: Southern Miss (15-4) . . . 142 SOS
#48: Memphis (16-3) . . . 115
#64: UTEP (11-7) . . . 32
#104: UCF (13-5) . . . 161
#112: Tulsa (11-9) . . . 114
#116: East Carolina (8-7) . . . 89
#146: Tulane (13-6) . . . 264
#172: UAB (7-12) . . . 72
#183: SMU (10-10) . . . 190
#192: Marshall (8-11) . . . 104
#217: Houston (12-6) . . . 335
#308: Rice (3-14) . . . 154
How have C-USA teams fared against teams from the country’s six power conferences (ACC, Big East, Pac 12, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC)? The overall record is 6-23. Only UTEP has beaten two power-conference teams (Oregon and Nebraska).
