Busting Brackets
Fansided

AAC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2020-21 season

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 *** /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 12
Next
CINCINNATI, OHIO – JANUARY 08: Brandon Rachal #0 of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO – JANUARY 08: Brandon Rachal #0 of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Tulsa fans will probably feel disrespected by this and maybe they have a point but I’ve got them finishing seventh. Tulsa was the surprise of the conference this past season finishing in a tie for first for the American Athletic Conference regular season. Frank Haith will return everyone but Martin’s Igbanu so why are they ranked so low?

Tulsa was a great defensive team last season finishing 30th in the country for points allowed per game, for them to finish high in the AAC they’re going to have to replicate that and probably more. Offensively the Golden Hurricanes really struggled and losing their leading scorer in Igbanu raises some concerns.

Who’s going to step up down the stretch, make their own shot, and be that go-to guy? Is a team that shot 18% from three going to be able to keep up against good teams that play fast? I’m still not convinced yet.

The Golden Hurricanes will have to rely on their experience to propel them through this season, Tulsa liked to play deep rotations last year and have a number of contributors returning with significant minutes under their belt, look for the seniors Elijah Joiner and Darien Jackson to step up in the backcourt, they’re going to both need to be more aggressive with attacking the basket.

Tulsa has a lot of flexibility this season, they probably have a high ceiling with a number of returners on a team that won 13 conference games, but it feels like their floor could be just as low. Frank Haith and company should certainly be taken seriously but for now, they’re sitting in the middle of the pack for me.