UNT aiming to add to stellar postseason for C-USA in NIT Final Four

North Texas guard Tylor Perry wasn’t one of them.

Perry played in a pair of epic clashes with the Owls and a host of other talented teams in Conference USA this season.

The way those teams — including UNT — have performed in the postseason has sent C-USA’s reputation as a basketball league soaring.

The Mean Green are headed to Las Vegas next week for the Final Four of the National Invitation Tournament to face Wisconsin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Orleans Arena. UAB will play in the other semifinal, while Charlotte won the College Basketball Invitational.

C-USA is 14-1 in the postseason. UNT (29-7) has contributed three wins to that total.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Perry said of C-USA’s success. “I knew night in and night out what Conference USA is about this year. The world is on notice. The league didn’t get the respect this year or the last couple of years.”

C-USA has been a one-bid league when it comes to the NCAA tournament for more than a decade. Southern Miss and Memphis both received bids in 2012 before Memphis left the league.

UNT appeared as if it might have a shot at receiving an at-large berth in each of the last two years only to be passed over.

The Mean Green have quickly reset and won three straight games in the NIT. UNT knocked off Oklahoma State in Stillwater last week, 65-59 in overtime. UNT finished at No. 38 in the NCAA’s NET rankings.

“If you look at the numbers, we were the highest ranked NET team to not make the NCAA tournament,” McCasland said. “The numbers said that our league is that good.”

Running through the gauntlet of the C-USA season helped prepare UNT for the NIT. The Mean Green beat UAB twice, including a double-overtime thriller at the Super Pit late in the season, before the Blazers edged UNT in the conference tournament.

FAU slipped past UNT by four points in both of the teams’ meetings this season.

“We have played against each other, which has been difficult,” McCasland said. “If you play a difficult schedule, you are prepared for difficult games and road games. The league prepared us to win postseason games.”

UNT will likely be without one of its key players as it looks to continue that run against Wisconsin. Junior forward Abou Ousmane has been away from the team to attend to a family matter and hasn’t played since UNT’s win over Alcorn in its NIT opener.

McCasland doesn’t anticipate Ousmane, who is averaging 11.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, playing next week.

“Abou is such a big part of our team and is family,” senior guard Kai Huntsberry said. “Our job is to win it for him.”

UNT has begun preparing to face Wisconsin in its next step toward reaching that goal. The Badgers (20-14) beat Oregon to reach the NIT Final Four.

“Wisconsin doesn’t turn the ball over and is good at getting the shots they want,” McCasland said. “They’re a good defensive team, are experienced and are playing their best basketball.”

Dealing with the Badgers’ size could be the biggest challenge for UNT, especially without Ousmane.

Wisconsin features Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl, forwards who are listed at 7-feet and 6-9, respectively. Crowl averages 12.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while Wahl adds 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds.

UNT was also outmanned in the paint in its game against Oklahoma State and still found a way to win. The Mean Green battled the Cowboys nearly to a draw in the paint and Perry hit a clutch 3 in overtime to put UNT over the top.

“We have to have the same mindset and keep them off the boards,” Perry said. “OSU was a big test. They are huge down low. Wisconsin is also going to be big. We have tested the waters and know what it’s like. Now it’s time to go execute.”

UNT and the rest of the teams in C-USA have done just that throughout a postseason that has elevated the profile of a league the Mean Green knew was better than it was given credit for most of the year.

“Every game you were worried because anyone could beat anyone,” Huntsberry said. “All the teams that have been playing in the postseason from Conference USA have played hard. It’s our job to keep that going.”