2017 AAC Tournament: SMU completes conference sweep with tournament title

Mar 12, 2017; Hartford, CT, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Jacob Evans (1) and Southern Methodist Mustangs guard Sterling Brown (3) work for the ball in the first half of the championship game during the AAC Conference Tournament at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

A rough shooting game dooms Cincinnati as SMU Mustangs wind up as 2017 AAC Tournament champions.

The SMU Mustangs enter the 2017 NCAA Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the nation. They’ve won 16 straight games and they can now add AAC Tournament championship to their resume after defeating Cincinnati, 71-56, Sunday afternoon in Hartford.

SMU spread the ball around offensively as four Mustang players finished with double-digit points. Sterling Brown led the effort for SMU by scoring 18 points, 12 of which came in the second half. Meanwhile, Semi Ojeleye scored 14, while Jarrey Foster had 13, and Ben Moore finished with 12 points.

The Mustangs had a little momentum going into halftime after Ben Emelogu sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to put them up 32-23.

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Three-pointers came easy for SMU as they went 10-of-19 from beyond the arc. In the second half alone, the Mustangs went 6-of-9 from three.

SMU stayed consistent in the first half as Cincinnati struggled to string together points offensively. The Bearcats shot 24 percent from the field in the first half and were 1-of-12 from three-point range.

Jarron Cumberland led the effort of the bench for the Bearcats as he scored a team-high 14 points.

SMU is clicking at the right time. They’ve won 16 straight games and Sunday’s win might have been their best in the conference tournament.

The Mustangs had their scare late against East Carolina Friday, but they recovered nicely with the wins against Central Florida and Cincinnati.

SMU has just one loss since Dec. 2 and that came in a close one against Cincinnati. They don’t go deep off the bench and they’ve stayed healthy all season. The Mustangs are a team that could very well make it to the Sweet 16.

Cincinnati is also a solid basketball team. Sunday’s loss to SMU was the worst margin they’ve experienced all season. Prior to this, the Bearcats have close losses to Butler (by 10), Rhode Island (5), SMU (9), and Central Florida (4).

Next: Predicting the one seeds

Three of those four teams will all be competing in the NCAA Tournament. Cincinnati certainly is another team, with their depth and talent, that could make a long run in March. Time will tell what these two teams can do in the tournament.