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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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8) Tulsa Golden Hurricane (16-11, 6-8)
LW: 10

Some (me) had written Tulsa off following a 2-6 start to conference play, but they’ve bounced back in a big way by winning four of their last six games. Tulane and ECU are the latest two, but that streak also includes wins over quality teams like Memphis and Temple.

The Golden Hurricane are not an explosive offensive team, but their combination of solid defense and a balanced attack has started to pay dividends for them.

They also have a chance to close the season strong with their final five games against Wichita State, Temple, Tulane, ECU, and Memphis. If Tulsa can reach 20 wins before the American Conference Tournament, they should be playing in the postseason.

7) Wichita State Shockers (13-12, 6-7)
LW: 8

Why is Wichita State ahead of Tulsa? The Shockers are also red-hot of late having won five of their last six games, including two wins over the Golden Hurricane.

Wichita faced a major uphill battle this year and started the season as inconsistently as you’d expect a team as inexperienced as them to do. Gregg Marshall’s team has found something of late with wins SMU and the sweep of Tulsa.

Senior Markis McDuffie (18.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg) has been stellar all season long and is now finally starting to get some consistent help. Given what they’ve shown down the stretch this year, the Shockers are going to be a factor again in the American next year.