Let's take a look around the C-USA.

Tony Barbee doesn't think the score tells the story of the first Tulsa game. 

"We beat them by 14, but it wasn't a 14-point win," UTEP coach Tony Barbee said. "We didn't play particularly well and neither did they. We did a pretty good job on (Ben) Uzoh, but he still got some open looks he didn't make. We did a pretty good job on (Justin) Hurtt but he had some open looks he didn't knock down, either. We have to do a better job on both those guys. And we've definitely got to do a better job on (Jerome) Jordan."

Joe Muench examines conference realignment.

Whereas UTEP isn't a "The University of," such as New Mexico or Wyoming, of a "State," such as Colorado State or San Diego State, it is a school growing in academic name due to its border location and its securing of research funding in bother health, research and security. And it is in the nation's 22nd largest city in one of the nation's top 100 TV markets.

Thankfully, it's over;   2 Miners get probation for robbery/assault.

In a brief statement, UTEP football coach Mike Price said Palmer and Sampson were no longer on the team. Price said he was "happy to hear that they can have their record cleared in five years."

Nolan Richardson will be signing books in Tulsa before the UTEP game.

What's Up El Paso profiles Randy Culpepper.

Around the League

Tulsa:   Has the team lost it's mojo?  Wasn't Tulsa picked to win the league?  Now they're fighting for a top 4 finish.

"We're kind of smarting right now," coach Doug Wojcik said. "We're not feeling great about ourselves. We're in every game. We've had a lead in every game and we have not come through. This is bigger than just the next game. We have to get out of this funk, find ourselves and get our mojo back. We have to give ourselves some confidence and surge for the final two, three weeks of the season."

Eric Bailey at the Tulsa World has some good notes on C-USA and he believes UTEP has become the leagues front runner..

Blogging the Bracket things C-USA is a two-bid league.

UAB is weary of facing Houston's Aubrey Coleman, the nation's leading scorer.

No Houston player scares an opposing coach more than the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Coleman. The former junior college player, who is in his second and fi­nal season at Houston, is av­eraging a nation-leading 25.6 points per game. He’s scored more than 30 points six times this season, been limited to less than 20 points only three times and had a season low of 10 points in a loss to Texas-San Antonio.