Around the AAC

[cincyguy13]

It wasn't our Pace that kept SMU in the games. They play slower than we do and they do a damn good job of slowing you down to their level.

They used 19.4 seconds per offensive possession and we used 18.7.

They try even harder than we do to slow the pace down. I also think Depth is pretty overrated when you have 6 interchangeable parts that basically can play anywhere. the 2nd time we played them, their was 25 fouls called, add in TV timeouts and coach timeouts and you have plenty of time to stay rested.

I agree with depth being overrated. But it does help when the quality doesn't fall off a cliff when you have to use the bench. I think that can win you a couple games a year

 

[jacobkdoyle]

I'd say the AAC is going to be one of the toughest leagues in the country to preseason predict. Sure, its UC and WSU at the top but then its a blur. Here is how I will go with it.

1. UC: I think we are the best team in the league and until WSU beats someone other than Dayton, Im not changing my mind
2. WSU: UC and WSU could be interchangable. I just hope not. But i do hope WSU is worth the hype
3. UCF: BJ Taylor is the leagues most underrated player, Tacko is a zone defense by himself and they add shooters via Aubrey dawkins and the other transfer
4. SMU Shake Milton might average 20 a game, McMurray can score in any league, Foster is good. But if they get killed on the glass, this could be a bust
5. UCONN Every thing in me says not to put them in the top 5, but Adams, Gilbert, Vital, And Larrier are as talented as any other 4 in the league. They just need production from a big. Bad thing is Ollie sucks at big development
6. Temple: I think Rose has a breakout year, add that with all the young guys plus the experience of Josh Brown and Obi, they could be tough to beat. I dont want to go to Philly to play them.
7. Houston: Rob Gray will score 22 or more PPG but they have so many new comers that Its hard to gauge them. Houston fans will tell you Devin Dotson is easily replaceable. I think their insane
8. Tulsa: Bring back most all of their new comers from last year. Not a ton of talent but enough to get hot one night and beat some one. Thank God for Troy Caupain last season.
9. Memphis: Nothing will surprise me about Memphis, if they finish 4th I would be surprised, if they finish last I wont either. Its a dumpster fire that actually has a lot of mid level talent, I just think they are a year or 2 away.
10. Tulane: They only won 6 games last year but I felt they got better and better as the season wore on. They will play tough but they still Suck ass
11. ECU: they could finish ahead of Memphis and Tulane because Barkley maybe a better player than both those teams have but they lose 3 starters from a shitty team so I Dunno
12. USF: POOOOOP SHOW for years to come




My confidence in these picks is about 10%. 3 thru 7 is anyones game. 8 and 9 are interchangable and 10-12 are the battle for the bottom. I really only have absolute confidence in UC this year, as even WSU gives me some doubts.

This could be a crazy good year or it could be the same as last year.

I won't believe UCF over SMU until it happens.

 

[justinhub2003]

I won't believe UCF over SMU until it happens.

It’s a tough call.

But I think I’m looking for An elite characteristic when I feel teams so close. UCF is elite defensively. Smu loses its 3 better defenders.

It could be close but no one really predicted UCF would finish 4th

 

[Queens_NYC]

Here are my August AAC Power Rankings...

1. UC... A few question marks at the 1 spot but other than that this team can be scary good. Could easily be Cronin's best team yet.

2. WSU... The only team in the league that returns more than UC and I agree with justin that they can be interchangable with UC at the top spot. Hopefully Chamet's absence early on does not lead to any bad OOC performances.

3. UCF... Ended last season on a high note with a NIT Final 4 appearance and should have more scoring options this season with their transfers in the backcourt and on the wings. Should still be the best defensive team in the league.

4. Temple... I almost put this team at #3. They are going to be VERY good. They return young skill (Alston, Rose, and Alani Moore), size (Obi, Aflakpui, and Damian Moore) and will be getting two 15-16 contributors back (Trey Lowe and Josh Brown). Coupled with a strong recruiting class this team should be very well balanced. The only question is who is going to emerge as "the man" in the clutch.

5. SMU... They're going to be a lot weaker in the front court but arguably better at the 1-3 positions. I think they take some lumps OOC but should be a solid team with McMurray in the rotation.

6. UConn... Like SMU, they're going to go as far as their guards take them. Less experience puts them in this spot.

7. Houston... The story of losing a lot in the front court, returning a lot in the back court continues here. I don't think Gray gets enough help for them to contend for a Top 5 spot.

8. Tulsa... This team finishes no lower than 8th. They return A LOT and will get some more help on the wings with Curran Scott eligible along with one of the better JUCO transfers in DaQuan Jeffries.

9. East Carolina... This is where my picks might turn a few heads. ECU actually finished last season on a decent note beating Temple in the AAC tournament and only losing to SMU by 4 in the quarterfinals. They return some pretty good guards but will be very weak in the front court with a lot of attrition.

10. Tulane... They return two good players in Frazier and and Reynolds along with an under the radar guard in Ray Ona Embo who helped France take bronze at the Euro U20 championships. Like others, they'll be weak in the front court but I think they definitely improve on last year's struggles.

11. Memphis... This team returns TWO contributors from last year's squad and while there may be some pleasant surprises from their newcomers this season I think they struggle like we did during Cronin's first season.

12. USF... They have some grad transfers who should help them compete and a few other players who would probably make decent role players on other teams but collectively they will struggle. Still think they could upset a team or two at home.

 

[justinhub2003]

Here are my August AAC Power Rankings...

1. UC... A few question marks at the 1 spot but other than that this team can be scary good. Could easily be Cronin's best team yet.

2. WSU... The only team in the league that returns more than UC and I agree with justin that they can be interchangable with UC at the top spot. Hopefully Chamet's absence early on does not lead to any bad OOC performances.

3. UCF... Ended last season on a high note with a NIT Final 4 appearance and should have more scoring options this season with their transfers in the backcourt and on the wings. Should still be the best defensive team in the league.

4. Temple... I almost put this team at #3. They are going to be VERY good. They return young skill (Alston, Rose, and Alani Moore), size (Obi, Aflakpui, and Damian Moore) and will be getting two 15-16 contributors back (Trey Lowe and Josh Brown). Coupled with a strong recruiting class this team should be very well balanced. The only question is who is going to emerge as "the man" in the clutch.

5. SMU... They're going to be a lot weaker in the front court but arguably better at the 1-3 positions. I think they take some lumps OOC but should be a solid team with McMurray in the rotation.

6. UConn... Like SMU, they're going to go as far as their guards take them. Less experience puts them in this spot.

7. Houston... The story of losing a lot in the front court, returning a lot in the back court continues here. I don't think Gray gets enough help for them to contend for a Top 5 spot.

8. Tulsa... This team finishes no lower than 8th. They return A LOT and will get some more help on the wings with Curran Scott eligible along with one of the better JUCO transfers in DaQuan Jeffries.

9. East Carolina... This is where my picks might turn a few heads. ECU actually finished last season on a decent note beating Temple in the AAC tournament and only losing to SMU by 4 in the quarterfinals. They return some pretty good guards but will be very weak in the front court with a lot of attrition.

10. Tulane... They return two good players in Frazier and and Reynolds along with an under the radar guard in Ray Ona Embo who helped France take bronze at the Euro U20 championships. Like others, they'll be weak in the front court but I think they definitely improve on last year's struggles.

11. Memphis... This team returns TWO contributors from last year's squad and while there may be some pleasant surprises from their newcomers this season I think they struggle like we did during Cronin's first season.

12. USF... They have some grad transfers who should help them compete and a few other players who would probably make decent role players on other teams but collectively they will struggle. Still think they could upset a team or two at home.

Unless your putting ECU or Tulane at the top of the conference, its hard to argue with anyones order or logic around their predictions. This league is wide open after the 1 and 2 spots.

Its not happening fast But I do think ECU and Tulane are on the rise. They are at least adding 3 star talent to the fold.

 

[Bearcatboy]

Here are my August AAC Power Rankings...

1. UC... A few question marks at the 1 spot but other than that this team can be scary good. Could easily be Cronin's best team yet.

2. WSU... The only team in the league that returns more than UC and I agree with justin that they can be interchangable with UC at the top spot. Hopefully Chamet's absence early on does not lead to any bad OOC performances.

3. UCF... Ended last season on a high note with a NIT Final 4 appearance and should have more scoring options this season with their transfers in the backcourt and on the wings. Should still be the best defensive team in the league.

4. Temple... I almost put this team at #3. They are going to be VERY good. They return young skill (Alston, Rose, and Alani Moore), size (Obi, Aflakpui, and Damian Moore) and will be getting two 15-16 contributors back (Trey Lowe and Josh Brown). Coupled with a strong recruiting class this team should be very well balanced. The only question is who is going to emerge as "the man" in the clutch.

5. SMU... They're going to be a lot weaker in the front court but arguably better at the 1-3 positions. I think they take some lumps OOC but should be a solid team with McMurray in the rotation.

6. UConn... Like SMU, they're going to go as far as their guards take them. Less experience puts them in this spot.

7. Houston... The story of losing a lot in the front court, returning a lot in the back court continues here. I don't think Gray gets enough help for them to contend for a Top 5 spot.

8. Tulsa... This team finishes no lower than 8th. They return A LOT and will get some more help on the wings with Curran Scott eligible along with one of the better JUCO transfers in DaQuan Jeffries.

9. East Carolina... This is where my picks might turn a few heads. ECU actually finished last season on a decent note beating Temple in the AAC tournament and only losing to SMU by 4 in the quarterfinals. They return some pretty good guards but will be very weak in the front court with a lot of attrition.

10. Tulane... They return two good players in Frazier and and Reynolds along with an under the radar guard in Ray Ona Embo who helped France take bronze at the Euro U20 championships. Like others, they'll be weak in the front court but I think they definitely improve on last year's struggles.

11. Memphis... This team returns TWO contributors from last year's squad and while there may be some pleasant surprises from their newcomers this season I think they struggle like we did during Cronin's first season.

12. USF... They have some grad transfers who should help them compete and a few other players who would probably make decent role players on other teams but collectively they will struggle. Still think they could upset a team or two at home.

What are your questions at the 1 spot? Seems pretty clear to me.....

 

[justinhub2003]

What are your questions at the 1 spot? Seems pretty clear to me.....

I know it’s not directed at me but in opinion the biggest questions we have are:
-Team chemistry: it was amazing last year but 13 guys on the team adds a different dynamic
-home court advantage: will playing away from fifth third impact us a ton.
-Bench scoring: our starters can light it up but who will emerge as a reliable scorer off the bench. We have good defense and passing just need scoring from it.

 

[Cin City]

Temple is one of those teams this year that could shock a lot of people by winning this league. Im not saying its going to happen, but Im just saying...Plus they have tended to be our Achilles heal in the AAC....similar to St. Johns in the Big East. Yeah we got em twice last year but the year before they had our number. On paper we have the edge, but toss that out the window. We will need to be sharp against the Owls this year.

 

[UCalum08]

Temple is one of those teams this year that could shock a lot of people by winning this league. Im not saying its going to happen, but Im just saying...Plus they have tended to be our Achilles heal in the AAC....similar to St. Johns in the Big East. Yeah we got em twice last year but the year before they had our number. On paper we have the edge, but toss that out the window. We will need to be sharp against the Owls this year.

Its the Fran Dunphy effect.

 

[waterhead]

Here are my August AAC Power Rankings...

1. UC... A few question marks at the 1 spot but other than that this team can be scary good. Could easily be Cronin's best team yet.

2. WSU... The only team in the league that returns more than UC and I agree with justin that they can be interchangable with UC at the top spot. Hopefully Chamet's absence early on does not lead to any bad OOC performances.

3. UCF... Ended last season on a high note with a NIT Final 4 appearance and should have more scoring options this season with their transfers in the backcourt and on the wings. Should still be the best defensive team in the league.

4. Temple... I almost put this team at #3. They are going to be VERY good. They return young skill (Alston, Rose, and Alani Moore), size (Obi, Aflakpui, and Damian Moore) and will be getting two 15-16 contributors back (Trey Lowe and Josh Brown). Coupled with a strong recruiting class this team should be very well balanced. The only question is who is going to emerge as "the man" in the clutch.

5. SMU... They're going to be a lot weaker in the front court but arguably better at the 1-3 positions. I think they take some lumps OOC but should be a solid team with McMurray in the rotation.

6. UConn... Like SMU, they're going to go as far as their guards take them. Less experience puts them in this spot.

7. Houston... The story of losing a lot in the front court, returning a lot in the back court continues here. I don't think Gray gets enough help for them to contend for a Top 5 spot.

8. Tulsa... This team finishes no lower than 8th. They return A LOT and will get some more help on the wings with Curran Scott eligible along with one of the better JUCO transfers in DaQuan Jeffries.

9. East Carolina... This is where my picks might turn a few heads. ECU actually finished last season on a decent note beating Temple in the AAC tournament and only losing to SMU by 4 in the quarterfinals. They return some pretty good guards but will be very weak in the front court with a lot of attrition.

10. Tulane... They return two good players in Frazier and and Reynolds along with an under the radar guard in Ray Ona Embo who helped France take bronze at the Euro U20 championships. Like others, they'll be weak in the front court but I think they definitely improve on last year's struggles.

11. Memphis... This team returns TWO contributors from last year's squad and while there may be some pleasant surprises from their newcomers this season I think they struggle like we did during Cronin's first season.

12. USF... They have some grad transfers who should help them compete and a few other players who would probably make decent role players on other teams but collectively they will struggle. Still think they could upset a team or two at home.

I think the bottom line here is that the conference gets better by adding WSU as well as getting a little stronger when taking them out of the equation. Our schedule will be stronger OOC as well.

We may even lose a couple more games than last year but improve our overall ranking if we win the right games and don't have any bad losses.

It will be a bit tougher playing off campus for home games but hopefully this will also help us play a little better on the road by virtue of not having the benefit of playing in our most comfortable venue. I had not really thought of this particular issue when considering how many points we will average this year. We may not get to 80ppg because we aren't playing in our true home arena. However, we may just be a little better prepared come March.

 

[UCBearcats]

Here are my August AAC Power Rankings...

1. UC... A few question marks at the 1 spot but other than that this team can be scary good. Could easily be Cronin's best team yet.

2. WSU... The only team in the league that returns more than UC and I agree with justin that they can be interchangable with UC at the top spot. Hopefully Chamet's absence early on does not lead to any bad OOC performances.

I get that this is a Bearcats board and we're all fans but other than that is there a reason why you'd project UC ahead of WSU?

Every preseason publication I've seen has WSU ranked as a Top 10 team.

 

[justinhub2003]

I get that this is a Bearcats board and we're all fans but other than that is there a reason why you'd project UC ahead of WSU?

Every preseason publication I've seen has WSU ranked as a Top 10 team.

For me, I see UC as better because I’ve watched them
Beat good teams. I watched WSU barely beat Dayton And then lose every other high profile game they played.

They will be adapting to a new league. We won’t

 

[Queens_NYC]

What are your questions at the 1 spot? Seems pretty clear to me.....

What I meant by "1 spot" was the point guard position, specifically pertaining to Broome. We lost one of our biggest rocks in Caupain and while Broome's play may ultimately exceed that of his predecessor, he is a big unknown at an important position for us.

I think the bottom line here is that the conference gets better by adding WSU as well as getting a little stronger when taking them out of the equation. Our schedule will be stronger OOC as well.

We may even lose a couple more games than last year but improve our overall ranking if we win the right games and don't have any bad losses.

I agree with all of this. I could see the league's regular season champion easily losing 3-4 conference games and still earning a higher NCAA seed than last season's champs (6 seed).

I get that this is a Bearcats board and we're all fans but other than that is there a reason why you'd project UC ahead of WSU?

Every preseason publication I've seen has WSU ranked as a Top 10 team.

Over the past 4 years, we've averaged 14 conference wins a season in the AAC, second only to SMU by 1 win (57 to 56). Wichita does have all the pieces this year to make a Final 4 run but I think our track record against this level of competition along with everyone we return/add should make us the team to beat, even if it's not by a great margin.

 

[Bearcatboy]

What I meant by "1 spot" was the point guard position, specifically pertaining to Broome. We lost one of our biggest rocks in Caupain and while Broome's play may ultimately exceed that of his predecessor, he is a big unknown at an important position for us.



I agree with all of this. I could see the league's regular season champion easily losing 3-4 conference games and still earning a higher NCAA seed than last season's champs (6 seed).



Over the past 4 years, we've averaged 14 conference wins a season in the AAC, second only to SMU by 1 win (57 to 56). Wichita does have all the pieces this year to make a Final 4 run but I think our track record against this level of competition along with everyone we return/add should make us the team to beat, even if it's not by a great margin.

I was also referring to the point guard position and while this is broomes first year playing with the team he's been here for a year practicing so he knows the team and they know him, he also knows the plays by now and I think he will end up being better than caupain on the court (not records).

As for the # 1 in conference I think we will fall short

 

[justinhub2003]

If UC isn’t preseason picked to win the league this year it won’t matter, I’m not sure the preseason pick has ever won the AAC.

 

[waterhead]

I get that this is a Bearcats board and we're all fans but other than that is there a reason why you'd project UC ahead of WSU?

Every preseason publication I've seen has WSU ranked as a Top 10 team.

It's not that far fetched really for people who know more about what is going on with the program. It's easier to put WSU up there because they don't have the question marks we do. They return all 5 starters.

Our question marks could very well be upgrades. We have added depth to the bench and upgraded our starters from a team that won 30 games. I'm not sure all the pundits are that in tune with Cumberland and Broome to know what to expect from them. Heck even us fans don't really know for sure.

WSU is a safe bet but it doesn't mean it's the right bet.

 

[jacobkdoyle]

We will only be a few spots away from Wichita State overall in the preseason stuff. Out of 351 teams, that's a close margin. It's not that strange to prefer one team over the other.

As for the actual voting, seems like a follow the leader game. No one strays too far from each other on this stuff. The Top 10 teams may be shuffled around a bit, but if one publication has Wichita State over us, they all will. They made news by getting screwed on their seed last year, playing Kentucky, and making the move to a new conference. Add that with a coach and roster returning, and it's easy to make them the pick for most pollsters.

It'll play itself out. We need to make sure we don't drop any silly games this year inside the conference. We were really good about that last year. But if the rest of the conference improves some, those games become harder, especially on the road. And it could be the difference between winning the conference or not.

The people picking/voting may have Wichita State over us in the AAC, but even for those people, it's likely by a game.

 

[UCBearcats]

Over the past 4 years, we've averaged 14 conference wins a season in the AAC, second only to SMU by 1 win (57 to 56). Wichita does have all the pieces this year to make a Final 4 run but I think our track record against this level of competition along with everyone we return/add should make us the team to beat, even if it's not by a great margin.

I could certainly buy into the idea that our experience playing to a higher level of league competition gives us an edge seeing as how both teams are projected on paper to have fairly similar levels of success. I was just looking to see if there was more behind the prediction other than we want to root for our team to be #1.

I'm just glad to have a team of WSU's caliber in the conference moving forward.

 

[mdchick]

It will be interesting seeing how wsu does in conference play the Missouri valley isn't even close to the aac in terms of competition, if Uconn is finishing in the lower half of your conference; then your conference is pretty good. They are going from 12 cup cake games in conference play too, ecu USf and Tulane. Being the only teams that should be sure wins. It will be a big change for them but I don't think it will come down to ether us or them for the league title.

 

[waterhead]

We will only be a few spots away from Wichita State overall in the preseason stuff. Out of 351 teams, that's a close margin. It's not that strange to prefer one team over the other.

As for the actual voting, seems like a follow the leader game. No one strays too far from each other on this stuff. The Top 10 teams may be shuffled around a bit, but if one publication has Wichita State over us, they all will. They made news by getting screwed on their seed last year, playing Kentucky, and making the move to a new conference. Add that with a coach and roster returning, and it's easy to make them the pick for most pollsters.

It'll play itself out. We need to make sure we don't drop any silly games this year inside the conference. We were really good about that last year. But if the rest of the conference improves some, those games become harder, especially on the road. And it could be the difference between winning the conference or not.

The people picking/voting may have Wichita State over us in the AAC, but even for those people, it's likely by a game.

It's going to be a tougher year to win for us because of the schedule strength and playing off campus. We may not really have a comfortable home to play in so we should be both battle tested and neutral/road game tested when it counts. I say neutral just because it's not our preferred arena we will be playing in. I hope to see a lot more attacking play this year. Less threes and more driving the lane and producing fouls. We settled for 3's too much last year. Our road scoring was not good. We need to look for, and be aggressive for, higher % shots. We also need to run and press more to create easier buckets. We have a great starting 5 and a deep bench so we should take full advantage of that.