Charlotte 49ers basketball team heating up just in time for Conference USA tournament

The Charlotte 49ers have been a middle-of-the-pack team in Conference USA throughout the season, but now wield a renewed sense of optimism following their key victory over C-USA East division champion Middle Tennessee on Wednesday night.

Charlotte (16-13, 9-8 C-USA) scored its biggest win of the season, 60-56 over the Blue Raiders (22-8, 13-4 C-USA), solidifying themselves as the fourth seed in the East division of the C-USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas, next week.

Charlotte was one-and-done in Frisco last season, losing to Texas-San Antonio in the first round, and hasn’t won a game in postseason play since the 2015 season.

But this year’s team has the pieces to break the skid.

Jahmir Young’s case for C-USA Player of the Year has kept the 49ers competitive, scoring double figures in every game this season, including 17 20-plus-point performances. Young is averaging 19.8 points, 3.6 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game, ranking second in the conference and 25th in the nation in points per game.

Teams with great guards win in March, but the 49ers haven’t found consistency with a second primary ball-handler because of streaky play from Clemson transfer Clyde Trapp. The senior flashes explosiveness and game-changing scoring ability, but has been careless with the ball down the stretch (1.32 assist to turnover ratio) and is shooting a team-worst 62.5% from the free-throw line.

The team’s second-leading scorer also arrived via the transfer portal. Former Holy Cross guard Austin Butler is scoring 12.4 points per game and leading Charlotte in rebounding at nearly six per game. He has been the 49ers’ best defender in clutch situations, including two late-game steals and free throws in Wednesday night’s win.

Moving to the man in the middle, freshman center Aly Khalifa’s play has garnered five C-USA Freshman of the Week awards through the season. While Khalifa’s scoring (7.6) and rebounding (4.1) numbers aren’t eye-popping, the 6-foot-11 big man has dished 103 assists on the season, two shy of Young’s team-high of 105. His development has allowed the 49ers to run offensive sets through him in the post and at the elbow, delegating Young’s ball-handling responsibilities.

The transfers’ and newcomers’ success, or lack thereof, defined the ups and downs of the regular season. But getting hot at the right time can help the 49ers find a rhythm in the tournament, despite their 0-3 record on neutral courts this season.

“Starting March with a win is big,” Young said. “Now we’ve got to go on the road and get this one and have momentum going into the tournament. That’s big for us.”

The 49ers’ most likely route through the C-USA Tournament would start against Rice, a team that Charlotte defeated 67-64 in Houston earlier this season. A victory would warrant a rematch with North Texas, the reigning C-USA champion and No. 1 seed. The Mean Green smothered the Niners for a 65-51 victory in Denton, Texas, earlier this season and are winners of 14 straight — the third-longest win streak in the nation.

With one final regular-season game, coach Ron Sanchez is one win away from leading Charlotte to 10 wins in C-USA play for just the second time since rejoining the league in 2013-14. Sanchez’s first season with the program in 2019-20 was the other.

Charlotte’s regular-season finale awaits in Hattiesburg against Southern Mississippi (6-24, 1-16 C-USA) on Saturday at 3 p.m. on ESPN+.

The pressure rides on Young’s shoulders, but he will need plenty of production from the supporting cast if Charlotte is to make a run in Frisco.

“When you play well, it’s easier to replicate,” Sanchez said following the win over Middle Tennessee. “The beauty about Jahmir now is that he has some experience under his belt, and he’s been in some tough games through his journey.”

This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 5:31 PM.