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

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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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – MARCH 28: Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars coaches during a practice session ahead of the NCAA Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at the Sprint Center on March 28, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Does Houston have enough weapons to make another deep run?

Similar to UCF, there’s no Corey Davis, Armani Brooks, or Galen Robinson returning for Houston. So…now what? That’s a question I’m sure Kelvin Sampson is probably still trying to figure out himself. Nate Hinton will likely take over one of the guard spots after opening up his college career with a successful freshman campaign. The sophomore played behind Brooks and Davis, so expect his production and his minutes to skyrocket this year. Sampson has to be excited about him.

Fabian White and Brison Gresham will both be players that will see their roles increase this year. Gresham made an appearance in every game for Houston last year, while White saw action in all but five games. As far as the newcomers go, Houston welcomed three freshmen to their roster this summer. J’Wan Roberts and Marcus Sasser joined the team this summer while Caleb Mills was an early enrollee with the Cougars back in January.

Houston bouncing back and putting together a good team seems likely; whether or not they will be a Sweet 16 quality team remains to be seen. Kelvin Sampson is a quality coach and his team shouldn’t be taken lightly. They should be in the conversation to be in the tournament next year and may even be able to repeat as AAC champions. Just an extra note for Houston fans and AAC fans who may not have heard but we can’t forget about Quentin Grimes. Grimes joins the Cougars this year from Kansas,where he started every game last year, but will, unfortunately, likely have to sit out this upcoming season due to NCAA transfer rules. He’s one to keep in your back pocket.