Busting Brackets
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AAC Basketball Power Rankings: Temple, UCF, Houston in top tier

By Brian Rauf

VILLANOVA, PA - DECEMBER 05: Shizz Alston Jr. #10 and Quinton Rose #1 of the Temple Owls reacts after an offensive foul in the second half against the Villanova Wildcats at Finneran Pavilion on December 5, 2018 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Temple Owls 69-59. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
VILLANOVA, PA - DECEMBER 05: Shizz Alston Jr. #10 and Quinton Rose #1 of the Temple Owls reacts after an offensive foul in the second half against the Villanova Wildcats at Finneran Pavilion on December 5, 2018 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Temple Owls 69-59. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies is ejected from the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the championship game of the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies is ejected from the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the championship game of the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

8) UConn Huskies (11-8, 2-4)
LW: 7

So, UConn does have that win over SMU, but the Huskies were also upset on the road by both South Florida and Tulsa, keeping them with a dismal 2-4 record in the AAC.

Dan Hurley is still working on changing the culture in Storrs and his team is inconsistent – they sometimes revert back to bad habits they developed under Kevin Ollie. However, the talent is certainly there.

Jalen Adams is still a star and Alterique Gilbert, who has finally been able to stay healthy, has added another quality player in the backcourt. The depth just isn’t there, as the Huskies only have six players who average at least four points per game.

7) South Florida Bulls (13-6, 3-4)
LW: 6

South Florida can really hang their hat on that win over UConn but have also come very close to adding more resume-boosting wins to their record. All four of their conference losses have been by single digits and two (Tulsa, Temple) were by a single possession.

Head coach Brian Gregory has turned the Bulls into an elite defensive team in his second year at the helm. They rank fifth nationally in forced turnover percentage, seventh in steal percentage, and also rank in the top 50 in three-point defense, effective field-goal percentage defense, and defensive rebounding rate.

USF has already won three more games than they did all of last year thanks to this defense, yet their ability to maintain this level of play will depend on the abilities of David Collins and LaQuincy Rideau to carry the offense.