Busting Brackets
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AAC Basketball: Ranking the top 10 players overall for 2019-20

By Ben Andreatta

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 13: Quinton Rose #13 of the Temple Owls dribbles the ball against the Villanova Wildcats at the Liacouras Center on December 13, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 13: Quinton Rose #13 of the Temple Owls dribbles the ball against the Villanova Wildcats at the Liacouras Center on December 13, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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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 *** /

There’s a lot of talent returning to AAC Basketball this season. Here’s how we rank the top 10 players in the American Athletic Conference.

Choosing the ten best players in any conference is always a challenge especially in a conference like AAC Basketball. Trying to figure out where the incoming freshman should go compared to the returners is always a hard thing to do.

I took a look at last season’s numbers and how they contributed to each team while also taking into account what kind of potential each guy has for this year and this is what I came up with. Narrowing the list down to only ten is tricky but I want to give a special mention to a few AAC guys that just missed out on the list but could easily prove me wrong.

Just Missed the Cut

David Collins

Collins was probably the hardest to leave off this list, he’s a great ballplayer and can very easily be an All-AAC First Team player. There’s a lot of talent for USF between Collins, Rideau, and Yetna and unfortunately, Collins drew the short straw. Collins could see his points totals rise this season as he looks to improve on his outside shooting and is a huge contributor.

Christian Vital

Vital was a difficult exclusion, 14 points a game last year for Dan Hurley and UConn but it should be noted what happened with UConn when Jalen Adams missed time last season. Vital is a great player and is primed for a big year, he’ll need to play well for UConn to have a shot at a tournament bid.

Precious Achiuwa

A freshman for Memphis has a chance to be one of the very best in the conference. It’s always hard to judge the freshman in comparison to the returners but Achiuwa looks to be a special player. Achuiwa had 22 points in his debut for Memphis in their first exhibition game and if that’s a sign of things to come, lookout.

Nate Pierre-Louis

Pierre-Louis is one of the better scorers for Temple and is coming off of 13 points per game last season. He struggled to knock down outside shots but was still a key contributor. A starter in all 33 games he’ll be a big part of the transition for Temple with Aaron McKie taking over.

Alterique Gilbert

Another UConn exclusion, Alterique Gilbert when healthy is one of the best guards in the conference. Unfortunately, he’s yet to stay healthy. He was able to play in 25 games last season after managing just nine combined in his first two seasons. Gilbert was great in his 25 games and like Vital, will need to stay healthy for UConn to have a chance to earn themselves a bid.