Bracketology 2020 Losers: League play leads to early casualties

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 04: Romeo Weems #1 and Paul Reed #4 of the DePaul Blue Demons react after their defensive stop in overtime of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Wintrust Arena on December 04, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 22: Jarron Cumberland #34 of the Cincinnati Bearcats (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

AAC

Wichita State’s climb into the national polls couldn’t have come at a better time for the American, where many of the league’s more consistent programs have hit stumbling blocks of late. And it is especially helpful for the AAC now that Memphis has suffered its first loss since a mid-November defeat against Oregon. The Tigers, once the home of touted freshman James Wiseman, lost to Georgia, who has a major prospect of their own in Anthony Edwards.

Outside of these top two, there are four AAC teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season – but none are mortal locks to return in 2020. Houston has the best shot at this point, who are riding high after a Diamond Head Classic title and a win over UCF in their league opener. The Knights have struggled to regain the form they had during their run of success last season, losing to both Houston and Temple last week. The Owls had their own struggles, though, losing their second AAC game against Tulsa.

The last of the four Big Dance teams from last year is Cincinnati. Given the talent on this team, it feels too early to count the Bearcats out. But first-year head coach John Brannen has struggled to get his roster to live up to their potential, with UC limping out to an 8-6 start. The team’s loss to Tulane last week was their second head-scratcher of the year after the Bearcats lost to Colgate a few weeks ago. Cincinnati is in serious trouble if they don’t right the ship right now.

Elsewhere in the league, South Florida came into the season with high hopes, but an early injury to Alexis Yetna derailed their season. Despite beating Connecticut during the week, the Bulls fell to SMU over the weekend. Those Huskies also lost to Cincinnati, meaning that Dan Hurley’s squad will have to climb out of an 0-2 hole in league play.

Right now, the American looks like they have two locks in Memphis and Wichita State, with Houston having the best chance at a third bid for the league. But so far, squads like Temple and Cincinnati haven’t shown the consistency needed to earn an at-large bid.

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