Miners clinch 4th seed and C-USA tournament bye with win

Omega Harris had a career day in points, (27) rebounds (10) and steals (five) as UTEP clinched a first-round bye in next week’s Conference USA Championships with a 74-67 win over Charlotte on Saturday in the Haskins Center.

The Miners (14-16, 12-6 C-USA) will have a share of third place in the final C-USA standings after Old Dominion lost at UTSA, 73-55, on Saturday. UTEP will play the winner of the Rice/Southern Miss matchup in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

“Really exciting time of the year and I am so pleased for our guys that they have given themselves an easier path at a time when everybody is hopeful in our league,” UTEP coach Tim Floyd said. “I do think Middle Tennessee is in and hopefully there will be two bids, and somebody else will secure the championship like us. I’m as proud of this team as any I have coached, given that they didn’t give in and they have just continued to come to work every day and address who they’re not and try to get better. That’s all you can ask for as a coach.”

Now it’s time for postseason play, and the Miners feel good about their chances at Legacy Arena in Birmingham.

“We talked about it in the postgame and I asked them, ‘Is there anybody you feel that you can’t beat?’ And they all said ‘Absolutely not,'” Floyd said. “They are eager, they’re excited and they have confidence.”