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AAC Basketball: 2018 conference tournament bracket and preview

By Lukas Harkins

WICHITA, KS - MARCH 04: Cincinnati Bearcats players celebrate after beating the Wichita State Shockers on March 4, 2018 at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
WICHITA, KS - MARCH 04: Cincinnati Bearcats players celebrate after beating the Wichita State Shockers on March 4, 2018 at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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WICHITA, KS – MARCH 04: Cincinnati Bearcats players celebrate after beating the Wichita State Shockers on March 4, 2018 at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
WICHITA, KS – MARCH 04: Cincinnati Bearcats players celebrate after beating the Wichita State Shockers on March 4, 2018 at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

Three teams have emerged as the class of AAC Basketball this season: Cincinnati, Wichita State, and Houston. Are there any potential Cinderella teams?

This season in AAC basketball has been a fun one. With the addition of Wichita State, the conference has another national title contender year in and year out. The Shockers are an elite program and have already asserted themselves as a rival for the Cincinnati Bearcats. The regular-season conference title came down to the last game of the year between these two schools, with Cincinnati coming out on top.

After these top two, though, nobody can ignore the season that Houston put together. The Cougars were right there with Cincinnati and Wichita State all season long, tying for second place. If they were to make a deep run in March Madness, I do not believe that anyone should be surprised.

In addition, the league has seen several schools rise up to take the place of those that have had down years. While teams like UConn and SMU finished lower than normal, Tulsa and Memphis rose to top-5 positions.

The AAC might not be listed among the power conferences but they belong in the discussion. Year after year, the conference sends multiple teams to the Big Dance who have the ability to make deep runs. There are two schools this year that will be projected to reach the Sweet 16 in Wichita State and Cincinnati with Houston knocking on the door as a potential second-weekend squad.

Without further ado, let’s jump into a preview of the upcoming conference tournament. This includes a look at the bracket (below), a team-by-team breakdown, the players to watch, and my predictions for the field.