Busting Brackets
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AAC Basketball Power Rankings: Memphis holds top spot, Cincinnati Struggles

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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ANAHEIM, CA – DECEMBER 01: Frank Bertz #20 of the UCF Knights heads down court after a 3 point basket in the second half of the game against the Charleston Cougars during the Wooden Legacy at the Anaheim Convention Center at on December 1, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – DECEMBER 01: Frank Bertz #20 of the UCF Knights heads down court after a 3 point basket in the second half of the game against the Charleston Cougars during the Wooden Legacy at the Anaheim Convention Center at on December 1, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

8.  SMU Mustangs

SMU may sit at 8-1 but they haven’t beaten anyone very good and got crushed by a depleted Georgetown game. They’re going to have to prove how good they are by beating some quality opponents. They’ll have an opportunity with Georgia in a week.

Isiaha Mike, Tyson Jolly, and Feron Hunt have all been playing really well to start the season, that core three are going to be crucial for the Mustangs in conference play. Defensively they’ve been pretty strong except for the 91 points Georgetown hung on them. It’s hard to tell how good SMU is until we see more of them.

7. UCF Knights

It was no secret that things would be really difficult for UCF but Johnny Dawkins has done a great job so far with his team. They’re taking care of business against the teams you’d expect them to and have losses to two quality opponents in Miami and Penn.

The Knights have three games left for their non-conference slate and wrap up with likely their biggest test at Oklahoma before opening conference play with Temple and Houston.

Collin Smith has had a nice start to his season as he’s seen a lot more touches offensively. Four scorers for the Knights are averaging double digits making them a balanced team. The two freshman Green and Fuller have made immediate impacts and are great pieces for the future.

UCF will win some games in conference play and wouldn’t be surprised if they end up knocking off some of the top teams in the conference. Dawkins is a great coach and teams will want to avoid the Knights in the AAC tournament.