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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HOUSTON, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 10: Corey Davis Jr. #5 of the Houston Cougars faces up Jarron Cumberland #34 of the Cincinnati Bearcats during the second half at Fertitta Center on February 10, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 10: Corey Davis Jr. #5 of the Houston Cougars faces up Jarron Cumberland #34 of the Cincinnati Bearcats during the second half at Fertitta Center on February 10, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

2) Cincinnati Bearcats (21-4, 10-2)
LW: 2

Cincinnati has cruised through the American to this point (outside of that slip up at ECU) and is every bit the NCAA Tournament lock we thought they would be when the season started.

Jarron Cumberland (19.3 ppg) is the frontrunner to win conference player of the year and, once again, the Bearcats have one of the country’s best defenses. I still have questions about how their offense will translate when they face the highest level of competition in the NCAA Tournament, but there’s no doubt they’ve been consistent to this point.

But just how good are the Bearcats? They’ve largely avoided games against the other top teams in the American so far, meaning these last three weeks will provide a big test for them.

UCF (twice), UConn, Memphis, and Houston all remain on Cincinnati’s schedule. How they navigate that stretch will tell us a lot about how far they can go in the Big Dance.

1) Houston Cougars (25-1, 12-1)
LW: 1

Houston is a controversial block/charge call away from being the last undefeated team in the country.

They’ve been rolling all season and with wins over Oregon, LSU, Utah State, UCF, and Cincinnati on their resume, the Cougars have proven that they’re a legitimate top 10 team.

Houston’s defense has been their calling card, posting better defensive numbers than Cincinnati has this year. They’re one of the top three teams in the nation in three-point defense and effective field goal defense, showing how their length and athleticism affects opponents.

Corey Davis Jr. (15.7 ppg) and Armoni Brooks (16.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) carry the load offensively and have been legitimate go-to players, yet the Cougars have also been able to get contributions from a consistent third or fourth source almost every night. Those third and fourth sources change on a game-to-game basis, but someone always steps up.

Next. Ranking the last 25 NCAA Tournament Champions. dark

There’s a clear pecking order right now in the American with Houston at the top, but given the way some of the teams in the middle of these rankings are playing, we should be in for a very intriguing conference tournament.