Busting Brackets
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AAC Basketball Power Rankings: Conference shows depth with strength in middle

By Brian Rauf

VILLANOVA, PA - DECEMBER 05: Shizz Alston Jr. #10 of the Temple Owls high fives De'Vondre Perry #22 in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats at Finneran Pavilion on December 5, 2018 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
VILLANOVA, PA - DECEMBER 05: Shizz Alston Jr. #10 of the Temple Owls high fives De'Vondre Perry #22 in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats at Finneran Pavilion on December 5, 2018 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (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) /

10) SMU Mustangs (12-12, 4-8)
LW: 9

Questions about Tim Jankovich’s future at SMU are starting to rise given the Mustangs’ play this season.

SMU has lost eight of their last 10 games and only one of their four conference wins has come over a team ranked ahead of them in this list (Tulsa). Yes, sanctions and recruiting problems have hurt this program, but this was a top-25 team not too long ago. Their quick drop to the bottom of the conference has been curious.

Of course, there have been signs of hope. With Jarrey Foster, the Mustangs are 8-2 this year. Without him, well, we know the story. Foster is a good player but should not have that significant of an impact – no one should.

Jankovich will likely survive this offseason but will undoubtedly go into next year on the hot seat.

9) UConn Huskies (13-12, 4-8)
LW: 6

Many were expecting a bit more out of UConn this year under new head coach Dan Hurley, especially after they knocked off Syracuse in the second week of the season.

However, the Huskies have fallen into a slump of late. They’ve lost four of their last five games including three in a row. None of them have been terrible losses but they’ve been unable to differentiate themselves from the middle of the conference.

Depth, defense, and the lack of consistent perimeter shooting have hampered them all season long, and they’ve occasionally reverted back to the bad habits they developed under former head coach Kevin Ollie.

This season was more about establishing a culture in Hurley’s first season and he’s doing that. The wins will eventually come – and it wouldn’t be a surprise if that started over these final few weeks.