Kelvin Sampson has brought a resurgence to the Houston Cougars and it has carried over into this year. Houston is riding high at 7-0 including a win over previously ranked Oregon. They are the toast of the conference right now, but there a few teams nipping on their heels.
Cincinnati has not lost a game since an early-season defeat to Ohio State. Temple also only has one loss and has a win over SEC foe Missouri. UConn has also beaten Oregon and finished runner-up in the 2k classic. UCF won the Charleston classic and has played well also.
This is shaping up to be a conference that no one will want to see come tournament time. Houston looks like a legit challenger and Cincinnati is tournament tested. UConn is headed in the right direction if they can sneak in also.
The bottom of their conference is still down, but a Penny Hardaway has Memphis playing better at times. They still struggle, but they are getting better. The only team currently under .500 is Tulane and they are not very good this year. This should be very competitive when conference play starts. Right now they look like a three or four-bid league.