AAC Basketball: 2021 Conference Tournament preview and predictions

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Cincinnati Bearcats Tari Eason Temple Owls AAC Basketball Temple Owls At Cincinnati Bearcats Feb 12 /

First Round

#8 USF vs. #9 Temple

The Owls and Bulls were able to split the season series, with each away team taking the win. However, USF has lost four straight. Even though they have played the three toughest teams in the conference, it can put a wind in the sail of some teams.

However, Temple might be in an even worse predicament. Temple will be entering the AAC Tournament coming off a COVID pause. Their last set of games was against the Bulls.

It has been apparent that COVID pauses affect a team drastically and the timing of the pause takes into a team’s play significantly. With that being said, expect another big game from David Collins and Alexis Yetna as USF advances to the Quarterfinals.

Prediction: USF 68, Temple 57

#7 Tulsa vs. #10 Tulane

With the weird season that it has been, the final few weeks of conference play have featured some unusual matchups. It was headlined by North Carolina-Marquette, as well as, Kansas-UTEP. Another one added to that was Tulsa’s final game.

On senior night, the Golden Hurricane faced Northeastern State and snapped their two-game losing streak, with a 107-74 win. Even if Tulsa is the higher-ranked team, Tulane was able to better their bitter rival, behind a defensive slugfest.

Tulsa shot an abysmal 19% from beyond the arc and missed five of their seven free throws. Even with that, Tulane was able to sketch out a win.

Neither team played well and it was more of an anomaly for Tulsa. I believe the Golden Hurricane will bounce back and beat their rival to advance.

Prediction: Tulsa 65, Tulane 60

#6 UCF vs. #11 East Carolina

No member of the current UCF Knights team was on the floor, when they nearly pulled off the upset of the decade two years ago, against the highly-touted Duke Blue Devils. The Blue Devils team that featured four current starters in the NBA in Williamson, Barrett, Reddish, and Jones.

No player from that team is expected to walk through that door anytime soon. Johnny Dawkins squad has been led by Louisville transfer Darius Perry. The Knights have solid depth with four guys capable of scoring double figures. That’s an area that East Carolina can not provide.

The Pirates have a great player in Gardner, but the supporting cast around has fans feeling more to be desired. Gardner keeps them close, but UCF pulls away late.

Prediction: UCF 71, East Carolina 63