Busting Brackets
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AAC Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2019-2020 season

By Brian Rauf

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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WICHITA, KS – MARCH 15: Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars reacts late in the game against the San Diego State Aztecs in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at INTRUST Arena on March 15, 2018 in Wichita, Kansas. The Houston Cougars defeated the San Diego State Aztecs 67-65. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
WICHITA, KS – MARCH 15: Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars reacts late in the game against the San Diego State Aztecs in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at INTRUST Arena on March 15, 2018 in Wichita, Kansas. The Houston Cougars defeated the San Diego State Aztecs 67-65. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /

AAC Basketball is set to be one of the toughest conferences in the country next year. Here’s a way-too-early look at what will be a banner season for the American.

AAC Basketball overachieved in the eyes of many this past season by sending four teams to the NCAA Tournament.

Cincinnati and UCF fulfilled their preseason expectations while Houston emerged as a legitimate top 10 team and Temple proved their worth in Fran Dunphy’s final season.

Those four teams matched the conference record for most NCAA Tournament bids in a single season, but the American looks like it could shatter that mark in 2019-2020.

Houston is expected to be at the top of the league again and, even though the welcome new coaches to the sidelines, Cincinnati and Temple expect to go dancing again as well.

Head coach Penny Hardaway and Memphis are expected to make a major step forward thanks to a top-10 recruiting class, while Dan Hurley and UConn are expected to return to the Big Dance as well. South Florida and Wichita State return the cores of teams that made deep runs in the CBI and NIT, respectively.

So, in a year where the conference is projected to be deeper than it’s ever been, how is everyone expected to stack up against each other? Find out in our way-too-early look at the American Athletic Conference for the 2019-2020 season: