AAC Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2022-23 season

By Joey Loose | Jun 9, 2022

Mar 24, 2022; San Antonio, TX, USA; Houston Cougars guard Jamal Shead (1) tries to save a ball from going out of bounds during the first half against the Arizona Wildcats in the semifinals of the South regional of the men's college basketball NCAA Tournament at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports /

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AAC Basketball Cincinnati Bearcats guard David DeJulius Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Cincinnati

The Bearcats slipped a bit in the standings, but it was a decent enough first year for head coach Wes Miller, who inherited a bit of a mess after the departure of former coach John Brannen. An 18-15 mark is an acceptable first step, but Cincinnati used to be one of the best teams in this conference; surely those types of days are ahead again?

The Bearcats get last year’s top 3 leading scorers back, highlighted by guards David DeJulius (14.5 ppg last year) and Jeremiah Davenport (13.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg). Cincinnati adds former Memphis wing Landers Nolley II and former Indiana combo guard Rob Phinisee into the mix, while also getting another year out of Mike Adams-Woods. Former Old Dominion center Kalu Ezikpe arrives to shore up the backcourt.

The starting five is in great shape and this Cincinnati team is in position take that step forward. There’s no guarantee this team can contend or win this conference (Houston is extremely good), but this is the type of Bearcats team that is going to make fans feel good about the future again. The only negative is that this is a senior-heavy lineup; so the experience is fantastic for this year, but it’s going to be a lot of new faces by 2023.