Bracketology 2024: Green Bay and Richmond among surprise title contenders

Charlotte 49ers 16-8, 10-2 in American

After reaching the final four Florida Atlantic was picked to win the AAC, but midway through February the team that was picked to finish 13th in the 14-team league is a game behind South Florida who was picked to finish 9th. The Charlotte 49ers are 16-8 after beating UTSA on Thursday.

First-year head coach Aaron Fearne has done wonders with a 49ers squad that is just three years removed from a year when they only won nine games. In league play, they hold wins over FAU, Memphis, UAB, and North Texas and get another shot at league leader South Florida in early March after losing by just three.

For a team that averages just under 70 points per game, the 49ers have four players averaging in double figures led by juniors Lu'cye Patterson and Igor Milicic, Jr. Who are combining to average 27.5 points and 12.1 rebounds. They also lean heavily on those four in the rotation with three of these four averaging over 30 minutes per game.

The 49ers like to slow things down and play defense, as evidenced by their 356th rank in tempo. They are also a top-90 team in effective field goal percentage and defending the two and three-point shots.