UCF Basketball: Could the Knights be the AAC favorite in 2018-19?

HARTFORD, CT - MARCH 11: A.J. Davis #3 of the UCF Knights, B.J. Taylor #1 and Tanksley Efianayi #0 react after losing 70-59 during the semifinal round of the AAC Basketball Tournament against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at the XL Center on March 11, 2017 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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WICHITA, KS – JANUARY 25: Taylor #1 of the UCF Knights tries to pass. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

“Down” season ahead for the AAC?

Last season, five teams finished ahead of UCF in the AAC standings. They were Cincinnati, Houston, Wichita State, Tulsa, and Memphis. While all of these teams may have had better conference records a year ago, they all lose a ton of talent his offseason as well. For Cincinnati, the conference’s Player of the Year Gary Clark is gone as well as Kyle Washington and Jacob Evans. While head coach Mick Cronin will likely have his team in contention for an NCAA Tournament bid, the Bearcats will be taking a significant step back.

While Houston should still be fairly solid even with the loss of Rob Gray Jr., Wichita State might not be. Here are the players that will no longer be with the Wichita State program next season (graduation, NBA, or transfer): Landry Shamet, Shaquille Morris, Darral Willis Jr., Rashard Kelly, Zach Brown, Rauno Nurger, Conner Frankamp, C.J. Keyser, and Austin Reaves. This will not be easy for the Shockers to recover from and you can expect a substantial tumble overall.

Another team suffering some major departures, Tulsa will be without two of its three leading scorers in Junior Etou and Corey Henderson, both of whom are graduating. Lastly, Memphis could actually be a strong rising contender along with UCF this season. The Tigers went 10-8 in conference play last season and return just about every major contributor. With head coach Penny Hardaway now leading the way, Memphis could be a serious issue.

Next: Updated way-too-early Bracketology

Regardless, though, it is clear to see that the AAC is losing a ton of talent this offseason. Many of the top teams will have a hard time recovering and that could lead to a couple of teams making big jumps in the standings from year to year. With a steady amount of returning talent on offense to go with an already elite defense, UCF has a chance to make a big-time splash. The Knights might not win the AAC title but they should compete.