Busting Brackets
Fansided

AAC Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2019-20 season

By Pan Karalis

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 *** /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 13
Next
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 24: Collin Smith #35 of the UCF Knights reacts against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half in the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 24: Collin Smith #35 of the UCF Knights reacts against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half in the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

. . Knights . 12. team. 455.

UCF might’ve underachieved a season ago, finishing 13-5 in league play after being chosen by the conference’s coaches as the top team in the preseason. The loaded Knights were led by Aubrey Dawkins, B.J. Taylor, and current Celtics center Tacko Fall, and despite the disappointing regular season were on the wrong side of a miracle finish against Duke that kept them out of the Sweet Sixteen in March. It was probably the best team in program history, reaching only their fifth Tournament and earning an AP ranking for the second time.

But the core that almost brought Central Florida to the second weekend all rotated off the roster, either by completing their eligibility or declaring for the NBA draft and Terrell Allen, who would’ve been one of the top returning contributors, graduated and transferred to Georgetown. Coach Johnny Dawkins didn’t quite have the program in a position to deal with the heavy losses, scrambling for JUCO and graduate transfers to piece together a passable division one level team this off-season. The Knights will probably struggle to keep up in an improving AAC, but I wouldn’t count on Dawkins and UCF dwelling in the depths of the league for much more than a season or two.