The AAC Conference Tournament will be an interesting one to monitor this week. Wichita State enters as the 1 seed, with Houston as the 2. In spite of that, Joe Lunardi currently projects the Cougars to be 10 seeds higher than the Shockers in The Big Dance. That might be a conference tournament first. This conference also features some bubble teams attempting to play their own way into the NCAA Tournament.
AAC Conference Tournament Bracket:
The Favorite: Houston Cougars
Despite being the 2nd seed, it’s the Cougars who enter the field as the overwhelming favorites at -165. The Cougars have been in the AP Top 10 for practically the entire season. That strong regular season showing has been largely thanks to Quentin Grimes. The Kansas transfer brought his game to a new level this season, averaging 18 points a game and shooting 39% from three. Houston is one of the only teams in the nation to rank in the top 10 for both offensive and defensive ratings on KenPom’s rankings. Historically, ranking in the top 10 in each of those is a strong indicator of teams primed to make deep runs in March.
Player To Watch: Tyson Etienne
The Wichita State guard is another player who took his game to a new level in his second year in the AAC. Etienne makes things go for the conference’s top seed. He’s a great shooter with a knack for going off in big games. He averaged 20.5 points in the season series against Houston, and he may need to be in that range again if the two meet in the title game.
Team To Watch: Memphis Tigers
Currently positioned in Joe Lunardi’s “Next Four Out,” the Tigers have a lot to prove this week. A miracle game winner last Sunday kept them from possibly earning a signature win over Houston. They enter the AAC Tournament as the 3 seed, which means a shot at redemption against the Cougars could be coming soon. If they were to grab that win, it might be enough to push them through. Penny Hardaway has his team playing extremely well, which makes them very dangerous down the line.
Current Tournament Teams: 2
Wichita State and Houston are in. Outside of those two, this week will be very big for Memphis and SMU. Cincinnati might be capable of getting to the title game as well, but they’ll need to win the auto-bid to have a shot on Selection Sunday.
Prediction: Houston
Wichita State has been an incredible story this season. Winning the AAC with their interim coach is nothing short of exceptional. They absolutely can be a team that makes noise next week when the real tournament starts. With that said, this Houston team is for real. Kelvin Sampson has a group that legitimately could be a second weekend to fringe Final Four team. Getting things started with a conference title in Fort Worth this week should be a starting point.