Game begins at 7:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network
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The 2026 men’s Conference USA Tournament concludes on Saturday, March 14, in Huntsville, Alabama, with its championship game between No. 4-seed Louisiana Tech and No. 6-seed Kennesaw State. The winner receives CUSA’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
Both teams will be playing their third game of the tournament on Saturday after starting in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs took down No. 5-seed Middle Tennessee and No. 9-seed Missouri State in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, and will appear in their third CUSA Tournament championship game. LA Tech is 0-2 so far after losing in both 2014 and 2022.
The Owls have pulled off two upsets (by seeding) to reach the championship game. KSU has taken down No. 3-seed Western Kentucky and No. 2-seed Sam Houston in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, in its CUSA Tournament run so far. This will be the first time the Owls have played in the CUSA Tournament championship game, although they’ve only been in the conference for two seasons.
Here’s how to watch the championship game of the CUSA Tournament on Saturday:
How to watch the 2026 Conference USA Tournament championship game
The time is in Central Time.
No. 4 Louisiana Tech (20-13) vs. No. 5 Middle Tennessee (20-13)
Time: 7:30 p.m. on March 14
Location: Propst Arena, Huntsville, AL
Network: CBS Sports Network
Things to know
- The Bulldogs and Owls split their regular-season games against each other, with each winning their home game. LA Tech took its win on Jan. 23, 82-76, thanks to Scooter Williams’ 28 points off the bench and a 46-point second half to overcome a 45-36 halftime deficit. KSU avenged that loss on Feb. 21, 58-55, thanks to 15 points from RJ Johnson and much better defense, as it held LA Tech to 32% shooting.
- The Owls have been on fire offensively so far in the CUSA Tournament, having scored 175 points on a 50% shooting clip. Johnson, Amir Taylor, Frankquon Sherman all scored double-digit points in the quarterfinals and semifinals, while Trey Simpson has the best scoring effort for KSU so far this week with 26 points against WKU.
- The Bulldogs are on a hot streak entering Saturday’s game with eight wins in their last 11 games. LA Tech has been bolstered by performances from AJ Bates, who scored 29 and 27 points in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to help his team win both games. Avery Thomas II has tallied 21 rebounds in the CUSA Tournament so far.
Nick Coppola’s prediction
Louisiana Tech 84, Kennesaw State 81
Coppola is 6-2 in his CUSA Tournament predictions so far, with his blemishes being incorrect picks in the Missouri State-Liberty quarterfinal game and the Sam Houston-Kennesaw State semifinal game.
Nick Coppola covers New Mexico State athletics for the Las Cruces Sun-News and is covering the Conference USA Tournament for the USA Today Network. You can follow him on X at @Nick_Coppola__ or email him at ncoppola@lcsun-news.com.
