With the announcement that the Memphis Tigers were set to leave Conference USA for the Big East Conference in 2013-14, C-USA decided to move the annual conference tournament from Memphis’ FedEx Forum to the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The move was made to ensure that Memphis doesn’t benefit from a home-court advantage in their final appearance, as well as to keep the venue near a future C-USA School. The 2013 Conference USA Tournament is scheduled to be played from March 13th through March 16th, and this year should be one of the most compelling in recent history since Memphis, UCF, Houston, and SMU are all slated to leave the conference next season. Certainly, the exiting schools would like to leave their mark on the conference one last time, so fans can expect this one to be ultra-competitive.
The event was certainly compelling last year, as Memphis was able repeat as tournament champions in convincing fashion by stomping Marshall, 83-57. For the second consecutive year, Memphis’ Joe Jackson emerged as the tournament MVP. Jackson’s heroics helped the Tigers claim their 6th overall title, which is first all-time in the league, followed by the Cincinnati Bearcats (4), Louisville Cardinals (2), and Charlotte 49ers (2). The winner of this fabulous tournament receives an automatic bid into the 2013 NCAA Tournament, and though the top seeds aren’t determined, Memphis, Southern Miss, UCF, and UTEP have the best shot at the No. 1 spot. Make sure to purchase 2013 Conference USA Tournament tickets now to witness what’s sure to be an electric showdown in Tulsa.
