With AAC college basketball about a third of the way through conference play, the true contenders are starting to pull away from the rest of the pack. Tulane and Memphis continue to sink while Houston, SMU, and Cincinnati are sitting pretty at the top. Unfortunately for fans, three games had to be canceled this week due to COVID circumstances. When these games are rescheduled if at all remains to be seen. If they are rescheduled, however, it’ll be interesting to see if fatigue becomes an issue for teams that will need to make up multiple games.
The AAC will have a loaded slate this week. Once again, there is AAC basketball every day outside of Monday and Friday. While there aren’t any key matchups between the teams at the top, this week will again give us more information and continue to separate the pack. Will this be the week Houston finally gets tripped up, or will they gain even more separation in a top-heavy AAC?
AAC Basketball Weekly Headlines
Weathers’ Twins Help SMU Beat Memphis
Grad transfers Marcus and Michael Weathers balled out in a big way for the Mustangs. Marcus was starting in just his tenth game of the season and Michael in his fourth. From the way they played, however, you would think they’ve been starting every game this season. The Weathers’ twins combined for 22 points, 14 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Offensively, they took plenty of pressure off of guard Kendric Davis and got Memphis forward Jalen Duren in foul trouble early.
Defensively, they made sure to capitalize on some lazy plays made by Memphis. The Tigers were loose with the ball but more times than not, SMU was able to capitalize thanks to some good hustle plays by the two brothers. With Kendric Davis and Emmanuel Bandoumel providing plenty of star power every night for SMU, the emergence of the Weathers twins can take SMU to new heights. With just a half-game between the Mustangs and the Houston Cougars for the top spot in the AAC, SMU has a great chance to take the conference by storm.
Tulsa Blows 15-Point Lead, Loses to Memphis
Tulsa came into Sunday’s game with Memphis looking for their first conference win. Memphis was looking for some momentum. For coach Penny Hardaway, he was also looking to hopefully quash the fire around his seat as head coach. Somehow, neither team came away with what they wanted. Tulsa held a 48-33 lead under a minute into the second half. Tulsa would get outscored by 17 the remainder of the game with Memphis escaping with a 83-81 win.
Once again, Memphis guard Tyler Harris came up big when needed. Harris came off the bench and led all scorers with 24 points. Harris hit eight of 13 from the field and six of 10 form downtown. For a team that has struggled with consistency all year, it seems Harris has been the one constant. Unfortunately for Memphis, he can’t do it all by himself. He won’t be able to put up these kind of numbers all year so Memphis needs to find a way to get other guys going as well. If not, they will struggle mightily against anyone in the AAC.
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 College Basketball Games to Note
With a full slate of AAC college basketball games on deck this week, there is plenty to watch. Here are the biggest matchups to watch this week.
Cincinnati at Temple
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 25
Time: 7:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPNU
East Carolina at Memphis
Date: Thursday, Jan. 27
Time: 9:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN2
Temple at SMU
Date: Saturday, Jan. 29
Time: 3:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN+
Cincinnati at East Carolina
Date: Sunday, Jan. 30
Time: 12:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPNU
