Every week is important in college basketball and brings different results that shake up what we thought we knew. This past week, however, may have already taken the cake for the biggest impact on AAC basketball for the entire 2021-22 season. COVID and injuries have already claimed multiple teams, and this past week was no different.
Four games were canceled this week for AAC basketball. Only eight total games were played across the entire AAC. As intriguing as some of these games were, and as much as we learned from them, the biggest storylines this week came off of the court. Most notably, this week just opened the race for the conference title, even more, thanks to a catastrophic string of bad luck befalling the Houston Cougars.
AAC Basketball Weekly Headlines
Most teams in the AAC were scheduled to play at least one game this week. Due to cancellations, many due to COVID-related complications, Memphis, Tulsa, SMU and Tulane haven’t played in over a week. This week will be a good indication as to whether the extended break made these teams stronger or whether it causes them to look a little rusty for the next few games.
Unfortunately, we were robbed of a great matchup between Houston and Cincinnati. Houston had to forfeit their home game against Cincinnati due to not being able to field a team thanks to too many players having COVID. Although AAC basketball does lose that big game from Tuesday, there is still plenty to watch for.
Marcus Sasser Out for Season
Marcus Sasser’s toe injury has been no secret for the Houston Cougars. Sasser missed a game earlier this season against Louisiana. There was a question as to how severe the injury was, however, as he logged 31 and 36 minutes in back-to-back games against Oklahoma State and Texas State this past week.
Sasser has been the best player in the AAC so far this season, averaging over 17 points, two rebounds and two assists per game. He was also shooting over 43 percent from the floor and from deep. Unfortunately for Houston, they will miss his defensive impact as well.
Houston prides itself on defense, and nobody embodies that more than Marcus Sasser. Through 12 games this season, Sasser has averaged over two steals per game. His quickness allows him to stay in front of anyone who he’s asked to guard, and he is a pest to anybody handling the ball. With such an explosive and effective two-way player lost for the season, it’ll be interesting to see how the Cougars handle it.
Cincinnati Beats Tennessee Tech Despite Poor Shooting
In the new era of college basketball, three-point shooting is key. While there aren’t many consistent high-powered offenses in the AAC, virtually every team has the ability to heat up to lethal levels on any given night. The one exception, to this point, seems to be the Bearcats. Cincinnati has made just 85 of their 286 attempts from deep in 13 games this season. That is only good for 29.7% shooting.
Usually, poor shooting can be attributed to tough luck or just off nights. For Cincinnati, however, the issue seems to be systemic. Only two players who average over 10 minutes a game shoot 28% or better from three. Those two players are Mike Saunders Jr. and Jeremiah Davenport. However, while good, they have also struggled with consistency. If Cincinnati continues to shoot poorly from deep, they’ll need to lean heavily on Davenport and Saunders each game. From what we’ve seen so far, that won’t lead to any consistency once AAC play rolls around.
Updated AAC Basketball Standings
| Team | Conference Record | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | 15-3 | 26-5 |
| SMU | 13-4 | 22-7 |
| Memphis | 13-5 | 19-9 |
| Temple | 10-7 | 17-11 |
| Tulane | 10-8 | 13-14 |
| UCF | 9-9 | 17-11 |
| Wichita State | 6-9 | 15-12 |
| Cincinnati | 7-11 | 17-14 |
| East Carolina | 6-11 | 15-14 |
| Tulsa | 4-14 | 10-19 |
| South Florida | 3-15 | 8-22 |
Upcoming AAC Basketball Games to Note
With games resuming after a short holiday break, there is no longer a lack of good AAC basketball to watch. Not only are there some intriguing matchups outside of the conference still to be played, but the conference games always hold a little something extra as well.
Temple at #23 Villanova
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 29
Time: 9:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: FS1
Michigan at UCF
Date: Thursday, Dec. 30
Time: 7:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN2
UCF at SMU
Date: Sunday, Jan. 2
Time: 2:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPNU
#13 Houston at Temple
Date: Sunday, Jan. 2
Time: 5:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN
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