Busting Brackets
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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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PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 01: Enechionyia
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 01: Enechionyia /

Bottom-half of the conference

12. South Florida Bulls (10-21, 3-15): This was a season to forget for the Bulls. They were never able to get things going in conference play and floundered to a last-place finish. Yet, there a silver lining in the solid freshman season by David Collins (9.2 points).

11. East Carolina Pirates (10-19, 4-14): The worst defensive team in the conference by points allowed per game, East Carolina has trouble keeping pace with their opponents. Shawn Williams, a freshman, was the third-leading scorer on the team (12.1 points) and he could become a staple of the future.

10. Tulane Green Wave (14-16, 5-13): Tulane lined up exactly with their preseason projection of No. 10 in conference play. The Green Wave have been as advertised and that has been somewhat disappointing. Senior Cameron Reynolds and junior Melvin Frazier are the players worth taking a look at during the tournament.

9. SMU Mustangs (16-15, 6-12): We knew it was going to be a down year but SMU but few predicted this far of a fall. In the preseason Coaches’ Poll, the Mustangs were picked to finish fourth in the conference. However, after Shake Milton, this roster is fairly bare. This is an extremely young team, though, and having a leader like Milton will help the program down the road.

8. UConn Huskies (14-17, 7-11): Another team that disappointed to an extent, many expected UConn to be in contention for an NCAA Tournament this season. Yet, even with the efforts of Jalen Adams, the Huskies finished under .500 on the year. Adams is the kind of player that can take over a single-elimination tournament such as this one but the team around him just isn’t consistent enough.

7. Temple Owls (16-14, 8-10): If Temple reaches the AAC Tournament final, there is a chance that they can crawl back into consideration for the Big Dance. The record is admittedly underwhelming but their SOS is off the charts. This season could have been special for the Owls but even if they do not go dancing, next year also looks promising. Quinton Rose and Shizz Alston Jr. make up an excellent duo.