NCAA Basketball: Kansas dominance, overrated FSU, and more weekly takeaways
By Brian Rauf
7) Cincinnati might be the best team in the American
The American was expected to have several dominant teams this year but, instead, the top of the conference has become something of a revolving door.
Memphis was the preseason favorite but, due to James Wiseman leaving the program and D.J. Jeffries suffering a knee injury that could cause him to miss the season, they’re likely out of the NCAA Tournament altogether.
Wichita State was poised to take their spot at the top of the conference – something I projected in a past Rauf Report – but they are just 3-5 in their last eight games and are on the outside of the bubble as well.
Houston has taken the mantle since then, yet there’s reason to think they may not be as good as their No. 20 national ranking suggests. They only have two Quad 1 wins and Wichita State is the only team they’ve been in AAC play that currently has a winning conference record. In fact, the Shockers are the only KenPom top 50 team they’ve beaten.
That leads us to Cincinnati, who was awful to start the season but has gone 8-2 in their last 10 games and is only a half-game out of first place in the American. Plus, they’ve already beaten everyone else in the top half in the conference (Houston, Tulsa, SMU, Wichita State, Memphis), showing this rise isn’t a fluke.
They’re a quality defensive team again but are improved offensively under new head coach John Brannen, largely thanks to the continued greatness of Jarron Cumberland.
With only two games left against KenPom top 100 teams, the Bearcats have the inside track on winning the American again.