With another week behind us in conference play, fans are starting to get a better idea of where these AAC college basketball teams stack up this season. With every team having played at least two conference games, we have just a little more to go off on. While Houston on the top of the standings is no surprise, there are plenty of wrinkles in the conference early on.
Even with more injuries than any team in the conference, Houston still finds themselves undefeated in conference play. Tulane continues to win in a conference they were given little chance to compete in. Although Tulane and SMU are sitting in a solid position at the moment, there are still a lot of games being played.
AAC Basketball Weekly Headlines
The good news this week across the conference was that virtually all games went on as scheduled this week. The AAC has been rocked by COVID in recent weeks and has seemingly got it under control. Only one of the scheduled 10 matchups had to be postponed this week. Although no date has been set as of now, It looks like Tulsa and UCF will be able to reschedule their matchup.
The AAC will have a loaded slate this week. Although there are only games on three nights this upcoming week, five games are scheduled for Wednesday with an additional four scheduled for Saturday. If you don’t happen to be a fan of the NFL, the AAC has you covered as Cincinnati faces Wichita State at noon on Sunday as well.
Tristen Newton, East Carolina Beat Tulane in OT, 88-80
East Carolina beat Tulane thanks to the heroics of sophomore guard Tristen Newton. Not only did Newton hit the three to send the game into overtime, but he also made a layup previously with 15 seconds left to trim Tulane’s lead at the time to one. Newton was already having a good game, but he went berserk in overtime. Newton had 14 points in overtime to take his total on the night to 32 points, which is a career-high.
The most important thing about Newton’s performance was his efficiency and his ability to stuff the stat sheet. Newton hit 11/19 shots from the field and hit five of nine from deep. He also added five rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block to his stat line. Newton gave all of that production while only turning the ball over two times. Big games are to be expected from East Carolina’s leading scorer, but games like this don’t come around like this often even for the best of the best.
Houston’s Defense Stout in 76-66 Win Over Wichita State
They say defense wins championships. On the court, defense is great, but you need to put up points too. On Saturday, Houston basketball used their defense to not only generate turnovers, but also scored off of turnovers as well. To be fair to the Shockers, their defense was solid as well. In fact, Wichita State only turned the ball over one more time than the Cougars. Unfortunately for Wichita State, they did much less with their opportunities.
The Shockers had 14 turnovers to Houston’s 13. Through fantastic ball movement and burying open shots, the difference between points off of turnovers was stark. Houston turned 14 Shocker turnovers into 26 points. Wichita State was only able to turn 13 Houston turnovers into 10 points. Every possession counts in conference play and, today, Houston did more with what they were given. That difference was arguably the main reason why Houston beat Wichita State.
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 a full slate of AAC college basketball games on deck this week, there is plenty to watch. Early season darlings Tulane and SMU will be tested again with some big early matchups.
Memphis at UCF
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 12
Time: 7:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN+
Tulane at Wichita State
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 12
Time: 8:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN+
SMU at Tulane
Date: Saturday, Jan. 15
Time: 2:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN+
Memphis at East Carolina
Date: Saturday, Jan. 15
Time: 4:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN+
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