Although it is still early in the season, plenty of interesting storylines are already developing across AAC basketball. At the start of the season, Wichita State was viewed as a possible dark horse in the AAC race. Instead, the reigning AAC regular season champions are winless in their first four conference college basketball games. For all the hype coming into the season for Memphis, they find themselves seventh in the AAC. While early on, Houston remains in control with SMU and Tulane right behind them.
The AAC will have a loaded slate this week. Luckily, unlike last week, the games will be more spread out. While there aren’t any matchups between the teams at the top, this week will serve to help sort out a clustered conference race. Will Tulane and SMU keep their Cinderella runs alive, or will Houston start to pull away?
AAC Basketball Weekly Headlines
Brandon Suggs Steps Up In East Carolina’s Win Over Memphis
Brandon Suggs had his fair share of struggles coming into this game shooting the ball. In his previous three games, Suggs shot a combined 5/23 from the field, good for just 21%. In a game where he needed to step up for his team, Suggs came alive, scoring 17 off the bench on 55% shooting from the field. On East Carolina’s 12-1 run to end the game, Suggs contributed four points, a rebound and a steal, which turned into two points.
For all the times that he stepped up, the one thing many will remember is his incredible game-winning shot with two seconds left. In big situations, big players step up. Although he has struggled as of late, there is no doubt he has the ability to be a guy the Pirates can trust to make the right plays every game.
Wichita State Can’t Finish Inside, Lose to Cincinnati
This college basketball game was your stereotypical scrappy conference game. Points are tough to come by and usually the team that embraces the physicality wins. Cincinnati won the battle, which is the main reason why they left Charles Koch Arena victorious. Both teams shot poorly this game as neither shot over 39% from the field.
Cincinnati shot slightly better than Wichita State from the field. That’s quite impressive seeing that the Shockers took most of their shots in the paint. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t convert. Although both teams missed plenty of shots close to the basket, Wichita State missed plenty of “gimme” shots. There is no reason the Shockers should have missed as many as they did in close. If the Shockers want to get consistent wins in the AAC this season, they need to start converting down low.
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. There is at least one AAC game on every day of the week except Monday and Friday so there will be plenty to get your fix in. Here are the biggest matchups to watch.
Wichita State at Temple
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 19
Time: 7:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN+
SMU at Memphis
Date: Thursday, Jan. 20
Time: 7:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN2
Tulane at UCF
Date: Saturday, Jan. 22
Time: 2:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPNU
Wichita State at SMU
Date: Sunday, Jan. 123
Time: 5:00 pm EST
TV Coverage: ESPN2
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