2017-18 AAC Tourney Championship Prediction For Wichita State?

[WuShock Reaper]

Wichita State heads to Orlando later this week for the AAC Tournament Championship. How will they finish?


http://www.theamerican.org/sports/20...20Central.aspx

• 7 p.m. ET Quarterfinals: Friday, March 9 - No. 10 Tulane or No. 7 Temple vs. No. 2 Wichita State

• 3:30 p.m. ET Semifinals: Saturday, March 10 - TBD vs. TBD

• 3:30 p.m. ET Final: Sunday, March 11 - TBD vs. TBD

[another shocker]

championship game is not in the cards. still too many shaky legs (see notre dame maui title game)

[Dan]

We generally lose on Saturday, I’m thinking we lose to UH.

[WheatShock]

A or C seem like the most likely options to me.

I went with A though, I think today fueled the fire. Time to use it.

[60Shock]

I chose Runner-Up, but that is based on our guys being a whole lot more consistent in our scoring. From here on out through the NCAAT, going long 4-5 minutes stretches without scoring.is a recipe for disaster.

[Shocktoberfest]

When our defense is KenPom 100 it is. I just still find it hard to believe we can do better.

[ShockerPhi]

I'm still EXTREMELY worried about a complete flame out in the first round. It's time to find out if St. Louis was the curse, or we're just terrible in conference tournaments. But I think if we play like we're supposed to and capable of, we can get to the Championship game. Honestly, just win the first round and I'll be satisfied.

[Walker]

I think whenever this teams goes from being the hunted to hunter, it’s always a good thing. We’ve got some tough games ahead, but so do our competition.

I think our seniors will be bitter about letting senior day get away from them. Mr. Reaves is due to come out of his funk. Good things await. Man I wish I could make it to Orlando.

[WuShock Reaper]

"AAC Basketball: 2018 conference tournament bracket and preview" - FanSided Sports

by Lukas Harkins
Posted:03/07/18, 2;15pm cst

https://bustingbrackets.com/2018/03/...t-and-preview/

"Three teams have emerged as the class of AAC Basketball this season: Cincinnati, Wichita State, and Houston. Are there any potential Cinderella teams?

This season in AAC basketball has been a fun one. With the addition of Wichita State, the conference has another national title contender year in and year out. The Shockers are an elite program and have already asserted themselves as a rival for the Cincinnati Bearcats. The regular-season conference title came down to the last game of the year between these two schools, with Cincinnati coming out on top.

After these top two, though, nobody can ignore the season that Houston put together. The Cougars were right there with Cincinnati and Wichita State all season long, tying for second place. If they were to make a deep run in March Madness, I do not believe that anyone should be surprised.

In addition, the league has seen several schools rise up to take the place of those that have had down years. While teams like UConn and SMU finished lower than normal, Tulsa and Memphis rose to top-5 positions.

The AAC might not be listed among the power conferences but they belong in the discussion. Year after year, the conference sends multiple teams to the Big Dance who have the ability to make deep runs. There are two schools this year that will be projected to reach the Sweet 16 in Wichita State and Cincinnati with Houston knocking on the door as a potential second-weekend squad.

Without further ado, let’s jump into a preview of the upcoming conference tournament. This includes a look at the bracket (below), a team-by-team breakdown, the players to watch, and my predictions for the field....

Top-half of the conference
6. UCF Knights (18-12, 9-9): Injuries summed up this season for UCF. Behind their elite defense, there was hope for an NCAA Tournament bid. Yet, with B.J. Taylor and Tacko Fall each missing extensive time it just was not possible. The emergence of A.J. Davis in his senior season was fun to see but it seems unlikely that the Knights make a push during the tournament.

5. Memphis Tigers (19-12, 10-8): Overachiever alert! After being selected to finish eighth in the league in the preseason, Memphis sits in sole possession of fifth place. Even without a Big Dance appearance, it is hard to argue with that performance. Jeremiah Martin emerged as one of the best players in the conference and will be back for more next year (hopefully). Considering the top four scorers for the Tigers are all juniors, watch out.

4. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (19-11, 12-6): Tulsa is not in consideration for an NCAA Tournament bid at the moment but they had a great season in the AAC. It is hard to fault a team who goes 12-6 in conference play. Still, they went 0-4 against the teams ahead of them in the standings. This is a team, though, that could make a run under the right circumstances.

3. Houston Cougars (24-6, 14-4): A lock for the NCAA Tournament, this has been a great season by the Cougars. Rob Gray Jr. has led the way for the squad as they push for a relatively high seed in the Big Dance. To finish tied for second in the conference was certainly a successful year and they have time to build on that with a deep run in March.

2. Wichita State Shockers (24-6, 14-4): The Shockers are for real. Even though they did not win the AAC in their first season, it is clear that Wichita State is a really good team. They will likely receive a top-4 seed in their region during the NCAA Tournament and have the talent and experience to go deep. There are very few big men as efficient as Shaq Morris on both ends of the floor.

1. Cincinnati Bearcats (27-4, 16-2): There is a reason why the Bearcats are the best team in the conference. In addition to having a great defense, Cincinnati has an offense that can match it. Mick Cronin’s team features two members of the All-Conference team and is the favorite to win the AAC Tournament. If they do that, a No. 2 seed will likely be theirs....

Championship
(2) Wichita State over (1) Cincinnati: Both of the regular-season match-ups between these two were tremendous. Each team won on the road by less than five points. They were compelling games for all 40 minutes and that should happen once again on a neutral floor. In addition to fighting for the AAC Tournament title, this matchup would have serious seeding implications."