AAC Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2022-23 season
By Joey Loose
The calendar reads June, and that’s actually very significant in the college basketball world. It’s now been more than two months since the season began and we’ve just passed the deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA Draft pool. There are still some intriguing names in the Transfer Portal, but most of these rosters look much firmer, especially knowing who has decided to come back for another season of college ball.
The AAC isn’t exactly a power conference in basketball, and this has been evident in how things have gone in this conference in recent years. Houston has been a national power, while Memphis has been on a team on the rise. Cincinnati, SMU, and Wichita State have had great moments in recent years, but the rest of the conference has really struggled. Top to bottom, this isn’t the deepest conference in the world.
Still, we’re going to look ahead to next season, specifically focusing on AAC Basketball. With the point we’re at in the offseason, with a somewhat firm grasp on what these rosters will look like, we’re going to rank how this conference’s teams currently stand. Let’s just get right into it, starting at the bottom with some of those teams that have struggled in recent history.
11. East Carolina
Change is in the air for the Pirates, who traded Joe Dooley for Mike Schwartz at head coach this offseason. Last year was East Carolina’s first season at or above .500 since 2013, but the overall growth or direction of this program just hasn’t been there. Schwartz will try his hand at making this a competent basketball program, but he’s starting out with a rough hand.
Two of the team’s best players from last season transferred away, with guard Tristen Newton off to Connecticut and forward Brandon Suggs heading to UCF. Point guard Tremont Robinson-White returns but will be expected to play a much bigger role in the offense. East Carolina did bring in a few pieces, getting former Iowa State guard Jaden Walker and former Tennessee guard Quentin Diboundje, but they’ll need both to take big steps forward immediately.
This program just hasn’t had the level of talent to compete in this league, a conference that finds itself somewhere between a power conference and mid-major league in recent years. This season will be no different, depending heavily on a few players who aren’t used to carrying the brunt of an offense or defense. Schwartz is certainly capable of putting things in better position, but this year looks to be rough.