Busting Brackets
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AAC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2022-23 season

By Holden Walter-Warner

Mar 14, 2021; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Houston Cougars players and coaches celebrate as confetti falls after defeating the Cincinnati Bearcats in the American Athletic Conference tournament final at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ben Ludeman-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2021; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Houston Cougars players and coaches celebrate as confetti falls after defeating the Cincinnati Bearcats in the American Athletic Conference tournament final at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ben Ludeman-USA TODAY Sports /
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AAC Basketball South Florida Bulls head coach Brian Gregory Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
AAC Basketball South Florida Bulls head coach Brian Gregory Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

477. . . . Bulls . 8. team

Was the 2021-22 season rock bottom for South Florida? Hard times are still ahead, but the program should be able to avoid the conference cellar this time around.

Brian Gregory’s fifth season in Tampa was a rough one. The Bulls went 8-23 overall and 3-15 in the conference, finishing last in the AAC. South Florida was in a lot of games with better teams but failed to win most of them.

It was the worst season of the Gregory era, but he signed an extension through the 2025-26 season during the campaign, so he’s back. Luckily for him, he may be accompanied by a better team.

Transfers are the key. First, there’s senior guard Tyler Harris, fresh off a lengthy stint at Memphis. What Harris lacks in size, he makes up for in three-point shooting and feisty defense. Despite being on Penny Hardaway’s bench last year, he quickly becomes one of the Bulls’ best players.

Selton Miguel is another new guard, coming from Kansas State. He started over half his games for the Wildcats during his second season, averaging 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He’s not a good three-point shooter, but he has double-double potential and is good on the boards for a guard.

Seven-foot big man Russel Tchewa could become one of the more dominant big men in the league. Visa issues nearly trapped Tchewa in Cameroon, but he’s back in Tampa and ready to roll for his senior season. He averaged 8.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last year, his second with the Bulls.

South Florida doesn’t have a lot of name recognition on their roster, but it’s a quietly respectable team. Surely, it should be better than last year’s squad.