As usual, spots about 8-25 are pretty much the same. That range may be even bigger this year.

I agree with others, that both SMU and UC are damn good teams that I doubt anyone will ook forward to facing in March and it's better for the AAC to have two ranked teams. Hopefully UConn rebounds next year, and I'm sure they will with the talent they have out right now. And I expect Memphis will only get better also.

(02-13-2017 09:17 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  Hopefully UConn rebounds next year, and I'm sure they will with the talent they have out right now. And I expect Memphis will only get better also.

This league on paper has potential to be a really good league. Us and SMU have been consistently good since the league was renamed. UCONN while down this year gives us a marquee national brand with 4 titles in the last 20 years. Memphis and Temple are historically strong programs and I agree Tubby will have Memphis tournament quality almost every year. Tulsa has a decent history as well. UCF is improving. I think we'll always have some bottom feeders but year in and year out this league should be competitive consistently with the SEC and BE.

Wasn't that long ago tha the PAC was a 2 bid league.

we have to win conference tournament

(02-13-2017 09:29 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  

(02-13-2017 09:17 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  Hopefully UConn rebounds next year, and I'm sure they will with the talent they have out right now. And I expect Memphis will only get better also.

This league on paper has potential to be a really good league. Us and SMU have been consistently good since the league was renamed. UCONN while down this year gives us a marquee national brand with 4 titles in the last 20 years. Memphis and Temple are historically strong programs and I agree Tubby will have Memphis tournament quality almost every year. Tulsa has a decent history as well. UCF is improving. I think we'll always have some bottom feeders but year in and year out this league should be competitive consistently with the SEC and BE.

I agree. But eventually "potential" becomes meaningless and a trend becomes a reality. The league in its current form has sent 2, 4, and probably 2 teams again this year into the tourney.

UConn and Temple have missed the tourney 2 out of 3 years. Memphis has missed it all three years. That CANNOT happen if this league is to be viewed on the same level as BE or even SEC.

Meanwhile, we keep waiting for Houston to break out of the NIT-level and I don't think that will happen for a while, if at all. I really thought they would make the tournament this year. They still can, but its a very long shot. URI is their only good win and no one gives a damn about UH basketball, especially their own fans.

Next season has to get back on track. 3 bids should be the floor in this conference. We cant have more than 2 traditionally strong teams down at the same time. we have 5 down this season.

(02-14-2017 11:21 AM)LetsGoUC Wrote:  

(02-13-2017 09:29 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  

(02-13-2017 09:17 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  Hopefully UConn rebounds next year, and I'm sure they will with the talent they have out right now. And I expect Memphis will only get better also.

This league on paper has potential to be a really good league. Us and SMU have been consistently good since the league was renamed. UCONN while down this year gives us a marquee national brand with 4 titles in the last 20 years. Memphis and Temple are historically strong programs and I agree Tubby will have Memphis tournament quality almost every year. Tulsa has a decent history as well. UCF is improving. I think we'll always have some bottom feeders but year in and year out this league should be competitive consistently with the SEC and BE.

I agree. But eventually "potential" becomes meaningless and a trend becomes a reality. The league in its current form has sent 2, 4, and probably 2 teams again this year into the tourney.

UConn and Temple have missed the tourney 2 out of 3 years. Memphis has missed it all three years. That CANNOT happen if this league is to be viewed on the same level as BE or even SEC.

Meanwhile, we keep waiting for Houston to break out of the NIT-level and I don't think that will happen for a while, if at all. I really thought they would make the tournament this year. They still can, but its a very long shot. URI is their only good win and no one gives a damn about UH basketball, especially their own fans.

Next season has to get back on track. 3 bids should be the floor in this conference. We cant have more than 2 traditionally strong teams down at the same time. we have 5 down this season.

AAC basketball has it's problems but this year seems to be the perfect storm. Tubby will win in Memphis; that program has the tradition and fan support to be pretty elite again. UCONN had injuries derail their season. Those two, along along with Cincy and SMU, could all be ranked next year. And I won't be surprised if Temple makes a coaching change. In their defense though, I think they lost both starting guards to injury before the season opener. Truly, 2017 was a worst case scenario for a relatively "new" brand among established conferences.

(02-14-2017 11:40 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(02-14-2017 11:21 AM)LetsGoUC Wrote:  

(02-13-2017 09:29 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  

(02-13-2017 09:17 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  Hopefully UConn rebounds next year, and I'm sure they will with the talent they have out right now. And I expect Memphis will only get better also.

This league on paper has potential to be a really good league. Us and SMU have been consistently good since the league was renamed. UCONN while down this year gives us a marquee national brand with 4 titles in the last 20 years. Memphis and Temple are historically strong programs and I agree Tubby will have Memphis tournament quality almost every year. Tulsa has a decent history as well. UCF is improving. I think we'll always have some bottom feeders but year in and year out this league should be competitive consistently with the SEC and BE.

I agree. But eventually "potential" becomes meaningless and a trend becomes a reality. The league in its current form has sent 2, 4, and probably 2 teams again this year into the tourney.

UConn and Temple have missed the tourney 2 out of 3 years. Memphis has missed it all three years. That CANNOT happen if this league is to be viewed on the same level as BE or even SEC.

Meanwhile, we keep waiting for Houston to break out of the NIT-level and I don't think that will happen for a while, if at all. I really thought they would make the tournament this year. They still can, but its a very long shot. URI is their only good win and no one gives a damn about UH basketball, especially their own fans.

Next season has to get back on track. 3 bids should be the floor in this conference. We cant have more than 2 traditionally strong teams down at the same time. we have 5 down this season.

AAC basketball has it's problems but this year seems to be the perfect storm. Tubby will win in Memphis; that program has the tradition and fan support to be pretty elite again. UCONN had injuries derail their season. Those two, along along with Cincy and SMU, could all be ranked next year. And I won't be surprised if Temple makes a coaching change. In their defense though, I think they lost both starting guards to injury before the season opener. Truly, 2017 was a worst case scenario for a relatively "new" brand among established conferences.

Tulsa and UCF should both be better.

I think that this league is a four bid conference next year for the reasons already sighted.

(02-14-2017 12:52 PM)Flying Bearcat Wrote:  I think that this league is a four bid conference next year for the reasons already sighted.

On that note, who can we reasonably expect to get a bid next year? I'll go ahead and say Cincinnati and SMU for sure. From this year, I believe Houston is the closest to reaching the bubble. How do they look next year? Does UCONN rebound? What about Temple, UCF, Memphis, and Tulsa? From what I understand, anyone of those teams could make it next year and it wouldn't be much of a suprise.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

(02-14-2017 01:49 PM)Cataclysmo Wrote:  

(02-14-2017 12:52 PM)Flying Bearcat Wrote:  I think that this league is a four bid conference next year for the reasons already sighted.

On that note, who can we reasonably expect to get a bid next year? I'll go ahead and say Cincinnati and SMU for sure. From this year, I believe Houston is the closest to reaching the bubble. How do they look next year? Does UCONN rebound? What about Temple, UCF, Memphis, and Tulsa? From what I understand, anyone of those teams could make it next year and it wouldn't be much of a suprise.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

These conference profiles are definitely cyclical. I won't be surprised if the AAC gets as many bids in 2018 or 2019 as the (new) Big East. The year UCONN won from the AAC (2014), no (new) Big East team advanced past the Sweet Sixteen. Every year is different. The top half of the AAC will be competitive with any league when UCONN, Memphis and Temple get back to their usual performance levels.

uconn might be ranked higher than us next year.

Why?

(02-14-2017 08:36 PM)bulldog23 Wrote:  uconn might be ranked higher than us next year.

Nothing suggests that. They do get a few key guys back who were injured, but three of their current four highest scoring players are seniors.