In terms of results, it was a good week for AAC basketball. While some teams faltered, most were able to stay above .500 with just a few games left before the conference season. In terms of overall basketball, however, it was a tough week for not only the AAC but all of college basketball. COVID outbreaks are again running rampant. The NBA and NFL have made headlines for outbreaks, but the NCAA is no different.
One thing to keep an eye on as the season progresses is how long this carries on. For teams like Houston, the lost games don’t mean much. With teams like Memphis that seem to have finally found their footing again, this can derail any progress made. For teams that have had weak schedules up to this point, it’ll be interesting to see how this affects their possible NCAA tournament resumes.
AAC Basketball Weekly Headlines
AAC basketball seemed to return back to a sense of normalcy this week. Houston keeps on winning consistently and Memphis finally got themselves back into the win column. While the results were more of what we have been expecting from the AAC, there were still plenty of curveballs thrown this week. None bigger than the fact that six games were either canceled or postponed this week across the conference due to COVID outbreaks among teams.
This week sees two big days full of some big games before having just under a week-long break for the holidays. Tuesday and Wednesday will be virtually the end of the non-conference schedule for many AAC basketball teams.
Memphis Playing Complete Basketball
The differences between the last four games and this game were stark. One of the biggest problems with Memphis during their four-game losing streak was their inability to play as a team on either side of the court. On offense, the Tigers were too happy to have one-player isolation and the rest just stand around. Not only is that incredibly easy to stop, but it doesn’t help the players who want the ball in their hands too. Defensively, Memphis was too often slow to help when needed and unable to rotate when teams moved the ball well.
Against Alabama, Memphis basketball looked like one of the most dangerous teams in the country. While they made plenty of poor decisions stemming from trying to play “hero” at times, it happened far less than in games past. Defensively it felt as if there wasn’t a single part of the court open for the Crimson Tide. Offensively, the ball movement for Memphis was quick, efficient, and they made sure to find the open man at all times. With so much talent on the roster, if they play selfless basketball every night, few can even keep it close.
Bulls Shooting Bricks
If you are a fan of high-octane offenses, this game was not your cup of tea. Both teams shot extremely poorly from the field. However, USF may have set the bar for the most ridiculously bad three-point shooting to this point in the season. While the Bulls did shoot just under 40% overall, they shot barely over 13% from behind the arc. Every team has their off days, but this was something else entirely.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, this is no fluke. Going into this game, South Florida basketball averages just over 25% from deep as a team. Only two players on the roster average more than just 30% shooting from downtown. Those two players are forward Jalyn McCreary and guard Javon Greene. As good as those two have proven to be at times, somebody else needs to start hitting the three-ball on the team.
When this team faces stiff defense from conference opponents like Cincinnati and Houston, they will need somebody to step up. If anybody takes away the deep shot from Greene or McCreary, or even if they just happen to have an off night, USF will struggle to score 60.
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 just two days of games before a holiday break, Tuesday and Wednesday will be the time to get your AAC basketball fix for the next six days.
North Texas at Tulsa
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 21
Time: 6:30 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN+
North Alabama at UCF
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 22
Time: 7:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN+
BYU at South Florida
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 22
Time: 9:30 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPNU
