AAC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2023-24 season
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane enter 2023-24 as the bottom feeder in terms of teams that have remained in the AAC. It’s a position they’ve been hovering around for some time.
Eric Konkol’s first season with the team was as ugly as expected. Tulsa won only five games overall and one in conference play. The roster was overhauled from head-to-toe in the offseason.
Some of the incoming transfers are familiar names that should help return respectability to Tulsa. Chauncey Gibson (Clemson), PJ Haggerty (TCU), and Isaiah Barnes (Michigan) all come from power programs, not to mention 7-footer Mohamed Keita, who was limited at St. John’s by injuries but has played professionally in Africa.
Louisiana Tech transfer Cobe Williams was an old recruit of Konkol with the Bulldogs. Last year, he averaged 18.8 points and 4.1 points per game and twice made a Conference USA All-Defensive team.
. . Bulls . 11. team. 477.
Last year was one of Brian Gregory’s better ones at South Florida. It still wasn’t good, though. The team finished 8th in the AAC and went 14-18 overall, Gregory’s fifth losing season in six years with the Bulls, leading to his ouster.
In comes Amir Abdur-Rahim. He’s coming off a feel-good tenure at Kennesaw State. He won a single game during his first season, but by his fourth and final year, he guided the Owls to their first winning record at the Division I level and first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Abdur-Rahim brought three Owls with him, but no transfers from any major programs. Five-foot-nine dynamite Tyler Harris is out of eligibility and many players exited alongside Gregory, setting the new coach up for some growing pains.
First Team All-Atlantic Sun guard Chris Youngblood is the most important player to follow Abdur-Rahim to South Florida. He averaged 14.7 points per game while finishing third in the ASUN with a 41.5 percent three-point accuracy.