Every day or two, I hope to gather the best links from around the web and make this the ultimate one-stop shop for C-USA content. Got a good link? FanShot it.
MMMMMMMMMiner Links!
The Miners are sailing through the Conference USA schedule, drawing more and more national attention and, for a lightning-quick trio of days, getting a chance to catch their collective breath before the race down the stretch.
UTEP (19-5, 10-1 in Conference USA play), has an open date tonight and, as a result, got Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off -- hopefully giving them a chance for fresh legs down the stretch run.
CBS Sportswriter Gary Parrish gives Tony Barbee some credit for finding some hidden gems.
"Who else recruited Randy?" Barbee asked assistant Tony Madlock late Monday, repeating the question I had just asked him via cell phone while the UTEP staff wrapped a day of recruiting. I heard Madlock in the background say SEMO, East Carolina and Middle Tennessee State.
"Yeah," Barbee said. "Schools like that."
ESPN's Andy Katz had a nice conversation with Tony Barbee.
City leaders want to bring the 2011 Conference USA Tournament to the Sun City.
If El Paso lands the tournaments, the events could add $3.5 million to $4.5 million to the economy, according to the Convention & Visitors Bureau. That would include money spent by visiting teams and fans on meals, lodging, transportation and entertainment.
Around the League
Memphis: Keeping Pace; the Tigers held off a struggling Tulane team last night.
For the Tigers, fighting to stay within reach of UTEP for the Conference USA title, it was absolutely essential to take care of a struggling Tulane team — with or without Williams. But it also wasn’t easy, given how much Memphis (19-7, 9-2) relies on him for offensive leadership.
Tulsa: Out of it? Tulsa suffers a tough road loss at Marshall.
Wednesday’s defeat practically extinguishes Tulsa’s hope for a regular-season title. Concentration now shifts on a top-four league finish, which would guarantee a day off in next month’s C-USA Tournament at the BOK Center.
"We’re now trying to get a bye," TU coach Doug Wojcik said. "We are in a dogfight with a very tough schedule for a first-round bye."
Remember him? Steve Kragthorpe is now the "Passing Coordinator" at Texas A&M. Does anybody know what a "passing coordinator" is? Is there now a "tackling coordinator" too?
UAB: Bounce Back; UAB gets another tough road win at Southern Miss.
"We lost two at home and we had to pick it up on the road," said UAB head coach Mike Davis. "We won five road games this year. That's pretty good. Any time you can win five conference road games, that speaks volumes."