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AAC Basketball: 5 biggest questions heading into 2019-20 season

By Ben Andreatta

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 11: The AAC Championship trophy to be presented to the Cincinnati Bearcats after the final game of the 2018 AAC Basketball Championship against Houston Cougars at Amway Center on March 11, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 11: The AAC Championship trophy to be presented to the Cincinnati Bearcats after the final game of the 2018 AAC Basketball Championship against Houston Cougars at Amway Center on March 11, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 11: during the final game of the 2018 AAC Basketball Championship against at Amway Center on March 11, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 11: during the final game of the 2018 AAC Basketball Championship against at Amway Center on March 11, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

With a lot of changes, expect the unexpected with AAC Basketball next season. What are some big questions to consider?

There’s a lot of uncertainty heading into the future of the AAC Basketball with UConn’s departure at the end of the year so enjoy the 2019-20 season before that happens. Many are raising questions about the strength of the conference when it comes to basketball, UConn has been a traditional powerhouse and won an NCAA title in the conference’s the first year of existence.

But rough times have fallen on to the Huskies in the past few years. Former head coach Kevin Ollie now faces a three-year ban from college sports while UConn faces a lost scholarship and two years of probation from violations during Ollie’s tenure. I’m not worrying about the future of AAC basketball and neither should you.

It’s an exciting time for AAC hoops. In 2019, the conference was able to respectfully send four teams to the NCAA tournament without UConn. That’s as many as the Big East and the PAC 12, both power conferences, again all without UConn. With the rise of Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers, a new era of Cincinnati Basketball, and we can’t forget about Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars, there is certainly hope. Temple and UCF made tournament appearances last year and Wichita State made it to the NIT semi-finals. SMU has had a few down years but with their past success, it’s only a matter of time before the rejoin the front pack in the AAC.

UConn doesn’t need an immediate replacement, but I think starting to examine options for a long-term replacement would be a good idea. My pick to replace them? I want to see Buffalo.