AAC Basketball: 5 questions for the beginning of conference play

After finishing up the non-conference, AAC basketball play will be getting underway soon. Here are five questions about the upcoming conference slate.

1. Will Taylor’s return spark a UCF run?

At the very beginning of the season, UCF’s leading scorer from last season, B.J. Taylor, suffered a foot injury and has been out since. The timetable of 4-6 weeks that was announced has expired, so he should be coming back very soon. Central Florida has tread water while Taylor has been out, but now needs signature wins.

2. Does Memphis have an under-the-radar POY candidate?

One of the few players leftover from last year’s roster, Jeremiah Martin has excelled as the top offensive option. He’s filling up the stat sheet with 18.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 3.9 apg for a team that’s done well so far this season. Will these numbers continue in the new year?

3. Is Tulane a threat?

In terms of finishing near the top of the AAC, not really. While the 9-3 record certainly looks good, the Green Wave has been demolished by every good team they’ve played.

But what Tulane does have that should worry everyone is the star duo of Melvin Frazier and Cameron Reynolds. Each averaged over 16 ppg and 6 rpg and can explode for a big game on any given night. This team could be a real problem for any bubble team.

4. Has SMU been forgotten as a potential contender?

The Mustangs have had very little buzz after a solid, yet quiet non-conference. It’s all but been decided that Wichita State win will the regular season title, possibly even going away. And in terms of a threat to the Shockers, Cincinnati’s name usually comes to mind.

Meanwhile, SMU has five players averaging double-figures, including an All-Conference front-runner in Shake Milton. On Jan. 17, the Mustangs will travel to Wichita to try to make a huge statement.

5. Will the Shockers prove that they’re a national title contender?

Wichita State was ranked as high as No. 3 before losing to Oklahoma. That and blowing a late lead over a ranked Notre Dame team have been the only blemishes so far. All of this was done without the top scorer from a year ago, Markus McDuffie, who returned right before conference play. Now with the team at full strength, the Shockers can truly be judged for how good they are.

Next: 5 AAC observations based on preseason questions

The reason why the question was phrased as a “title contender” is that there’s been little to no talk of the Shockers cutting down the final nets. Teams like Duke, Villanova and Michigan State have been dubbed “title contenders” rather than “final four contenders.”

It may seem slight, but there’s still a mid-major bias connected to this team, even though they moved up. Now in their first go around in the AAC, Wichita State can make a statement loud enough that can’t be ignored…this team can win it all.