Downtown Stay & Play packages available now
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joel Lamp (jlamp@huntsville.org)
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – College basketball season is right around the corner, and tickets for the 2027 Conference USA men’s and women’s basketball tournament are on sale now!
Fans can get general admission all-session passes for $218, with reserved seats behind the team benches on sale for $378 at the VBC Propst Arena box office or via Ticketmaster.
New this year for CUSA fans are Stay & Play packages – allowing fans to buy their tickets and book their hotel stay in the Rocket City in one transaction. Several hotels in Downtown have offered preferred rates for fans to book rooms now before the season starts.
“We are excited to launch our all-session tickets as we start our fourth year hosting the Conference USA basketball championships,” said Joel Lamp, Sports Development Manager for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our mission is to make everyone’s experience in March memorable, and initiating the Stay & Play program enables fans to take care of their entire tournament plan in one click.”
Western Kentucky was voted the preseason favorite to win the CUSA men’s regular season championship, as voted by the league’s 10 head coaches, led by redshirt junior guard Teagan Moore, who was named the Preseason Player of the Year.
WKU is guided by head coach Hank Plona, who enters his third season at the helm and owns a 35-29 overall mark in his first two seasons. Defending tournament champion Kennesaw State claimed three first-place votes and was picked to finish second by the coaches. Liberty came in at No. 3 while picking up the remaining two first-place votes, followed by Sam Houston and MTSU, which placed No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. NM State claimed the sixth spot, followed by Jax State, Missouri State, FIU and Delaware.
Moore returns to WKU for his redshirt junior season as the top returning scorer in Conference USA as he finished second in the league last year with a career-high 18.7 points per game. The Dry Ridge, Ky., native also averaged 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting an incredible 52.9 percent from the field. Moore was an All-CUSA first team member in the 2025-26 campaign and recorded 13 20-point performances, while scoring in double figures in 23 of 27 contests.
Missouri State, winner of last year’s tournament, was voted the preseason favorite to win the women's basketball regular season championship by the league's head coaches, led by Kaemyn Bekemeier, who was named the Preseason Player of the Year.
Missouri State head coach Beth Cunningham enters her fifth season as head coach of the Lady Bears. She led Missouri State to its first-ever CUSA Tournament championship and the program's 18th NCAA Tournament appearance. Mo State returns seven players from a season ago and welcomes a group of seven newcomers that features four freshmen and three transfers.
Middle Tennessee was picked to finish second in the league, garnering one first-place vote. Liberty rounded out the top three, also receiving one first-place vote.
2026-27 CUSA Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
- WKU (5) 94 points
- Kennesaw State (3) 90 points
- Liberty (2) 79 points
- Sam Houston 64 points
- MTSU 57 points
- NM State 56 points
- Jax State 36 points
- Missouri State 28 points
- FIU 25 points
- Delaware 21 points
2026-27 CUSA WBB Preseason Poll (First-place votes)
1. Missouri State (8) 90 points
2. MTSU (1) 84 points
3. Liberty (1) 83 points
4. FIU 70 points
5. Sam Houston 60 points
6. WKU 42 points
7. Delaware 37 points
8. NM State 31 points
9. Jax State 29 points
10. Kennesaw State 24 points
