Many people looked at AAC basketball as extremely top-heavy for this 2021-22 college basketball season. While Memphis and Houston will be forces to be reckoned with in the conference, other teams are making some early noise. Cincinnati and UCF have shown plenty of promise, as well as a Wichita State team whose only loss was to a very good Arizona team in overtime. Here is a shakedown of how the past week played out.
AAC Basketball Weekly Headlines
The AAC currently only has two ranked teams. However, after another impressive week across the board, that number may be changing soon. Cincinnati beat a solid Georgia Bulldogs team and is 4-0, and UCF is also 4-0 as well thanks to another good week. AAC programs had plenty of strong performances and will look to build on them going into a huge week of non-conference tournaments.
Marcus Sasser, Kyler Edwards Lead Houston Basketball Over Virginia
It is no secret that Houston loves to shoot the ball. In the past, as seen against Hofstra, it can come back to bite them if the shots aren’t falling. In a big game, the big-time play of Kyler Edwards and Marcus Sasser revealed itself yet again, as they combined for 37 of Houston’s 67 points. Virginia, as a team, only put up 10 more than those two combined. When these two are feeling it, there isn’t a thing anyone can do about it.
Not only did Sasser and Edwards score seemingly at will, but they did it as efficiently as you could ask. They combined to shoot 11-for-24 from the field and an absurd 69% from behind the arc. No matter the defense, it seemed the ball was destined to go in the basket. That shooting only fed into their confidence which makes them and this Houston offense even more lethal than it already is.
Tyson Etienne, Wichita State Fall to Arizona in OT
Tyson Etienne was a non-factor early for Wichita State. Not only could he not get shots to fall, but he also was struggling from the free throw line. It wasn’t too surprising, seeing that Etienne was making his return from an illness that kept him sidelined for their game against Tarleton. When he found that stroke, however, there was nothing the Wildcats could do but pray.
Etienne made six of his last 10 shots in the second half and hit a sensational three to tie the game at 69 apiece, with 17 seconds left in the game. That three-pointer ended up being the shot that sent the game to overtime, where the Shockers eventually dropped off late. This game was just another example of how good this Wichita State college basketball team can be when Etienne is making shots. No team in the country can stop the Sophomore from Englewood, NJ.
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
The AAC Conference will have several opportunities to make more headlines in the upcoming week. Here are a handful of games to watch for throughout this Thanksgiving week.
Butler at No. 15 Houston
Date: Monday, Nov. 22
Time: 2:30 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN2
No. 10 Illinois at Cincinnati
Date: Monday, Nov. 22
Time: 6:30 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPNN
No. 11 Memphis at Virginia Tech
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 24
Time: 9:30 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN2
Wichita State at Missouri
Date: Friday, Nov. 26
Time: 9:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: SECN
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