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2018-19 Basketball happenings around the American Athletic!

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  • 2018-19 Basketball happenings around the American Athletic!

    "Duke, Villanova, Kansas lead early look at top 2019 contenders" - NCAA.com

    by Andy Katz | Correspondent
    Last Updated - Apr 4, 2018 14:21 EDT

    An actual Power 36, yes a 1-36 with a No. 1 team, will be available for your delight and debate later in the spring after the NBA draft withdrawal deadline. For now, let’s just consider which teams start out the spring as contenders for spots.


    "American: Expect UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to be the teams to watch early. If Tacko Fall, BJ Taylor and Aubrey Dawkins are all healthy and ready to go, then UCF could be the team to beat. But don’t ever dismiss a Mick Cronin-coached team. Houston loses Rob Gray but the program has elevated itself to NCAA tournament status. Tulsa, Temple and Memphis (with new coach Penny Hardaway) have the personnel to crack the top group, but wouldn’t make the Power 36 in the summer. And I refuse to dismiss Wichita State or SMU. These programs/coaches are too good and have proven that they will be in the mix."




  • #2
    "Grading the Major-Conference Moves of the College Hoops Coaching Carousel" - Sports Illustrated

    By CHRIS JOHNSON
    Posted: April 17, 2018





    CONNECTICUT: A–
    Out: Kevin Ollie
    In: Dan Hurley


    The Huskies opted to make a change just four years after Ollie won a national championship and three years after he was mentioned in connection with a high-profile NBA opening that ended up going to a different sitting college head coach. When UConn fired him in early March after a second consecutive season ended without a tournament berth (and as the NCAA investigation into the school’s recruiting practices continued), there was no guarantee an A-list candidate would sign on with the Huskies, whose stature has diminished considerably since the realignment scramble that sent it from the Big East to the American Athletic Conference.

    The Huskies wound up getting one of the hottest names on the market in the 45-year-old Hurley, whose East Coast ties, sideline acumen, basketball bloodlines and commendable six-season run at Rhode Island made him a match in Storrs. While the short-term upside here might be limited—Hurley is going to need some time to upgrade a lean roster that posted sub-170 Ken Pomeroy adjusted efficiency marks on offense and defense this season—the long-term outlook is rosy. The AAC’s addition of Wichita State last year brought another national power to the conference, and Cincinnati isn’t showing any signs of losing momentum under head coach Mick Cronin, but there’s little reason the Huskies can’t aspire to trade blows at the top of the standings with that pair on a regular basis.

    MEMPHIS: B
    Out: Tubby Smith
    In: Penny Hardaway


    There is little doubt that Memphis needed to turn the page on the Tubby Smith era. He wasn’t winning enough. He wasn’t recruiting at the level required to fuel consistent conference championship contention and tournament participation. And there were more and more empty seats at FedExForum.

    Memphis sought to reverse the downward spiral by making what at first blush looked like a nostalgia-fueled reach for a former player, but there’s a lot to like about Hardaway. His terrific two-year playing career at Memphis in the early 1990s is a bonus on top of his three consecutive state titles at nearby East High, the brand-name recognition he holds among disillusioned supporters and his connections to highly regarded recruits.

    For the Tigers’ 2018 class, Hardaway has already flipped a top-100 prospect from Texas A&M (shooting guard Antwann Jones) and reeled in two esteemed local point guards (Alex Lomax and Tyler Harris). Hardaway could put the Tigers in position to compile a loaded class of 2019 haul including five-star center James Wiseman, four-star small forward D.J. Jeffries (currently committed to Kentucky) and four-star power forward Chandler Lawson. However many of those players do ultimately pick Memphis, Hardaway should be able to replenish the roster in short order. That would be a good start for a head coach with no previous college experience.

    Comment


    • #3
      It's gonna be like the Valley of old!!!! Love this AAC Conferences!!!!
      FINAL FOURS:
      1965, 2013

      NCAA Tournament:
      1964, 1965, 1976, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021

      NIT Champs - 1 (2011)

      AP Poll History of Wichita St:
      Number of Times Ranked: 157
      Number of Times Ranked #1: 1
      Number of Times Top 5: 32 (Most Recent - 2017)
      Number of Times Top 10: 73 (Most Recent - 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017)

      Highest Recent AP Ranking:
      #3 - Dec. 2017
      #2 ~ March 2014

      Highest Recent Coaches Poll Ranking:
      #2 ~ March 2014
      Finished 2013 Season #4

      Comment


      • 1972Shocker
        1972Shocker commented
        Editing a comment
        I assume you mean the Valley of Death days in the 1960's.

    • #4
      "AAC Conference Reset: Get caught up on all of the league’s offseason action" - NBC Sports

      by Scott Phillips
      May 14, 2018, 11:28 AM



      "The NBA Draft’s Early Entry Deadline has come and gone, and there are a dozen or so truly impactful decisions that are left to be made.

      Just about every elite recruit has decided where they will be playing their college ball next season.

      The coaching carousel has come to a close.

      The transfer market is slowly winding down.

      In other words, by now, we have a pretty good feel for what college basketball is going to look like during the 2018-19 season.

      With that in mind, let’s take a look at what has happened — and what will happen — in the AAC over the next six months...."

      Comment


      • #5
        "Slowly but surely, Dallas is becoming epicenter of American Athletic Conference, with HQ move in the cards" - Dallas Morning News

        By Adam Grosbard, Staff Writer
        Posted: 05/31/18



        "When it was announced that Wichita State would be joining the American Athletic Conference in April 2017, it didn't take long for the Shockers to make their presence known in their new markets.

        Billboards promoting the university popped around Dallas-Fort Worth within days of the realignment announcement, with the yellow cartoon mascot in a black sweater encouraging Texans to apply to WSU.

        "Our traction as an institution is the I-35, the I-35 corridor," Wichita State athletic director Darron Boatright explained. "In our opinion, it felt natural for us to join the American to gain regionalized partnerships."

        The conference as a whole shares similar feelings about the value of the D-FW market.

        Boatright was in Dallas this week along with the rest of the American's athletic directors and executives for the league's annual meetings. It's the first of several moments revolving around North Texas for the conference.

        The most important move will be a literal one, as the American plans to relocate to Dallas when its lease for its offices in Providence (R.I.) expires in two years.

        "Dallas has become almost the epicenter of college football. I've made no bones about it, we're planning to move our conference offices here," commissioner Mike Aresco said. "We think we belong closer to more of our schools. We've got a school [SMU] here, which means people are coming in all the time."

        Then the American will be bringing one its marquee events to the area soon, too. The men's basketball tournament will take place at the currently-under-construction Dickies Arena in Fort Worth from 2020-22...."

        Comment


        • #6
          "Underdog Pawdcast: Talking P6 with AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco" - SB Nation

          By Joe Serpico and Joe Broback
          Jun 6, 2018, 11:00am EDT



          #JoeTalk welcomes Mike Aresco to the pawdcast to talk P6 movement, his thoughts on sports gambling and more.

          "Here are some topics we touched on in this episode:

          - What UCF’s national championship claim has done for the program and the entire conference.
          - The Commish explains the new media contract between Navy and CBS Sports, and what’s ahead once the current deal with ESPN expires.
          - Temple and USF are currently looking to build on-campus stadiums. Does the conference have any influence on these potential projects?
          - Is there any talk of a neutral site for the conference championship game?
          - Commissioner’s thoughts on Supreme Court’s decision regarding sports gambling.
          - How AAC basketball has grown with the addition of Wichita State and some high-profile coaches."

          Comment


          • #7
            That guy is sharp! Commissioner Mike Aresco that is. If you get a chance...highly recommend listening to that podcast.

            #JoeTalk welcomes Mike Aresco to the pawdcast to talk P6 movement, his thoughts on sports gambling and more.
            FINAL FOURS:
            1965, 2013

            NCAA Tournament:
            1964, 1965, 1976, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021

            NIT Champs - 1 (2011)

            AP Poll History of Wichita St:
            Number of Times Ranked: 157
            Number of Times Ranked #1: 1
            Number of Times Top 5: 32 (Most Recent - 2017)
            Number of Times Top 10: 73 (Most Recent - 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017)

            Highest Recent AP Ranking:
            #3 - Dec. 2017
            #2 ~ March 2014

            Highest Recent Coaches Poll Ranking:
            #2 ~ March 2014
            Finished 2013 Season #4

            Comment


            • #8
              "AAC revenue report illustrates league's need for more lucrative television contract in next cycle" - Orlando Sentinel

              By Matt Murschel, Contact Reporter
              Posted: June 11, 2018, 9:10am est




              "The American Athletic Conference’s latest financial snapshot illustrates how important the next round of television and multimedia contract negotiations will be for the growing league.

              The conference reported $74.47 million in total revenue for the 2016-17 fiscal year, the most recent documents available and obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.

              Those figures are down slightly — 6 percent — from the previous year, during which the league reported $79.297 million in total revenue. It’s the first decrease in revenue for the AAC since the decline between 2013-14 to 2014-15, with the latter being the first year without Louisville and Rutgers as members of the league.

              Compare the American’s 2016-17 revenue to figures recently released by the five autonomous conferences: SEC ($650 million), Big Ten ($531 million), Pac-12 ($509 million), ACC ($418 million) and Big 12 ($371 million)....

              In 2016-17, South Florida received $8.877 million from the AAC, followed by UConn ($8.088 million), Cincinnati ($7.659 million), Houston ($5.410 million), Tulsa ($4.937 million) and Temple ($4.920 million). USF, UConn and Cincinnati are still receiving payments as part of the $70 million in exit fees for being former members of the Big East Conference, according to the Hartford Courant.

              Memphis ($4.684 million), UCF ($4.042 million) East Carolina ($3.737 million), SMU ($3.701 million), Tulane ($3.587 million) and Navy ($2.623 million) account for the rest of the league’s revenue breakdown.

              UCF saw an increase of 13 percent ($528,837) from the previous year.

              Commissioner Mike Aresco made $1.79 million in salary in 2016-17, up slightly from the previous year of $1.724 million.

              The AAC revenue figures are bound to look radically different for the 2017-18 fiscal year with the strong showing by UCF in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, one of the six access bowl games in the College Football Playoff, as well as the addition of Wichita State in basketball."

              Comment


              • #9
                If any athletic interests are counting on increased revenues from TV contracts, particularly ESPN, there could be a big disappointment coming. ESPN has lost more than 10 mill subscribers in the last several years. As more and more people switch away from cable, they no longer pay automatic subscription fees to ESPN as part of their cable package.

                NFL viewership is also way down. We'll see if keeping kneeling players off of TV during the national anthem changes anything. I doubt it will.
                The future's so bright - I gotta wear shades.
                We like to cut down nets and get sized for championship rings.

                Comment


                • SB Shock
                  SB Shock commented
                  Editing a comment
                  It will be interesting to see what happens with ESPN+. I tried the trial period, not enough value to pay for it. But that might change during basketball season depending how they handle it all.

                • InWuWeTrust
                  InWuWeTrust commented
                  Editing a comment
                  same here sb.. other than catching a few 30 f0r 30s, it wasnt worth the few bucks a month espn wants for it.

              • #10
                "UCF Basketball: Could the Knights be the AAC favorite in 2018-19?" - FanSided Sports

                by Lukas Harkins
                Posted: 06/18/18, 12:00pm est

                https://bustingbrackets.com/2018/06/...orite-2018-19/

                "UCF basketball has finished in the top-half of the AAC in just two of the conference’s first five years. Yet, could the Knights be the favorites for 2018-19?

                UCF basketball has been relatively solid over the past few seasons but not spectacular by any means. In fact, the program has not reached the NCAA Tournament since the 2004-05 season back when they were playing in the Atlantic Sun. Since then, the program spent several years in the CUSA and now represents the AAC. In five years with this conference, UCF has finished in the top-half of the league twice with a combined total record of 80-79 (35-55 AAC). Despite this, though, there is reason to believe that 2018-19 could be a special season for UCF.

                At the forefront of this is the fact that the team will hopefully be healthy. The Knights have been plagued by injuries in recent years and that has hurt their overall stature. When everyone has been healthy, this team has been difficult to handle. In fact, the 2018-19 roster is similar in terms of rotation players to the 2016-17 UCF team that went 24-12 (11-7 AAC). With those stars having a couple more years of experience, there is a solid talent pool if healthy.

                It may be a “hot take” to place UCF basketball at the top of the preseason rankings for the AAC but it is a reasonable prediction. There are several reasons for this, even if it is an unpopular opinion. While it will certainly be difficult to steal the spot away from Cincinnati or Wichita State, both of whom are traditionally national powers, UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins could be in for a great season in his third year at the helm of the program.

                Here are a few reasons why it is reasonable to think that UCF could at the very least compete for the AAC season title this season if healthy....

                While Houston should still be fairly solid even with the loss of Rob Gray Jr., Wichita State might not be. Here are the players that will no longer be with the Wichita State program next season (graduation, NBA, or transfer): Landry Shamet, Shaquille Morris, Darral Willis Jr., Rashard Kelly, Zach Brown, Rauno Nurger, Conner Frankamp, C.J. Keyser, and Austin Reaves. This will not be easy for the Shockers to recover from and you can expect a substantial tumble overall...."

                Comment


                • #11
                  "Memphis guard Jeremiah Martin out 4-6 weeks after hernia surgery" - ESPN

                  Posted: 08/29/18, 5:08 PM CT

                  Guard Jeremiah Martin, Memphis' leading scorer last season, will miss four to six weeks while recovering from hernia surgery.


                  "MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Memphis guard Jeremiah Martin will miss four to six weeks as the Tigers' leading scorer last season recovers from hernia surgery.

                  Memphis begins preseason practice in late September and opens the season Nov. 6 against Tennessee Tech.

                  School officials announced Wednesday that Martin underwent surgery Monday to repair a hernia."

                  Comment


                  • another shocker
                    another shocker commented
                    Editing a comment
                    bad break for him and that team. wouldn't he be an aac mvp candidate?

                    speedy recoveries

                • #12
                  "College basketball: 16 teams who have improved their stock over the summer" - NCAA.COM

                  BY ANDY KATZ, CORRESPONDENT
                  SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

                  Official practice won’t start for a month, but there is still plenty to be hyped about from the summer. These teams made moves to improve their stock for the 2018-19 season.


                  "Official practice won’t start for a month, but there is still plenty to be hyped about from the summer.

                  Here is a Sweet 16 of news that has me pumped:...

                  8. The buzz for Memphis and UConn is real: The AAC desperately needs the Tigers and Huskies to be relevant in challenging Cincinnati and a rotation of Houston, SMU, Wichita State and for sure UCF (more on that in a minute). But Penny Hardaway has delivered without coaching a game for the Tigers. Reports all summer were about how well Hardaway and Mike Miller were making an impact in recruiting. There will be a desire to be back at FedEx Forum to see Hardaway deliver on producing a possible tournament team. How the pieces mesh is still unknown, but Dan Hurley’s impact is not. He has the fan base energized and his passion is contagious.

                  9. UCF is ready to make a move: Johnny Dawkins said B.J. Taylor, Tacko Fall and Aubrey Dawkins are all going to be good to go for the season. Once this team is on the court — the one that was expected — the Knights should be the team to beat in the AAC. There has been so much anticipation for UCF to finally meet its expectations and awake as the sleeping giant. We may finally get a chance to see it actually happen in 2019...."

                  Comment


                  • #13
                    "Temple Basketball: 2018-2019 season preview for the Owls" - FanSided Sports

                    by Stu Luddecke
                    Posted: 09/13/18

                    After a disappointing 2017-18, Temple Basketball hope to send retiring head coach Fran Dunphy out on a positive note. Will the Owls be able to do that?


                    "After a disappointing 2017-18, expectations are once again high for Temple Basketball, who hope to send retiring head coach Fran Dunphy out on a positive note.

                    The 2017-18 season was a mixed bag for the Owls. At certain points, the Dunphy-led squad showed flashes of brilliance. They snagged out of conference wins over Auburn and Clemson (4 and 5 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, respectively) and went 8-2 over a tough 10 game stretch in conference play. Also on the bright side, Quinton Rose established himself as an AAC star and potential first-teamer in the conference.

                    On the other side of the coin, however, the Owls were too often plagued by inconsistency and offensive struggles. They had as many bad losses as they did great wins, giving away games, for example, to A10 bottom-feeders La Salle and George Washington. In terms of scoring the ball, they finished 268th out of 351 Division 1 teams with an average of 69.9 points per game. The nadir of their season came when they lost to UCF by a score of 60-39.

                    This season, the Owls will have plenty of talent, and they’ll seek to redeem their disappointing season and first-round NIT loss (to in-state rival Penn State) by earning a trip to the Big Dance. With most of their weapons from last year set to come back, they’ll have the experience and depth to do so, especially in a relatively down AAC. Let’s look at what they have in store for what will be Dunphy’s last season at the helm...."

                    Comment


                    • #14
                      "Tulsa Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Golden Hurricanes" - FanSided Sports

                      by Jason Burgess
                      Posted: 09/14/18, 4;00pm cst

                      The 2018-19 season will be a critical year for Frank Haith and Tulsa Basketball. Can the Golden Hurricanes make a run at the Big Dance?


                      "2018-19 could be a critical year for Frank Haith and Tulsa Basketball. Here is a look at the Golden Hurricanes and whether they can make a run at the Big Dance.

                      In their first four years in the American Athletic Conference under head coach Frank Haith, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane has finished as high as 2nd in their first year in 2014-15 and as low as 7th in 2016-17. Tulsa finished fourth last season with an overall record of 19-12 and 12-6 conference record, despite finishing in the top four in three of their four seasons, they have also failed to make it out of the AAC quarterfinals on three of those four seasons.

                      With perennial conference contenders Cincinnati and Wichita State facing a bit of regression due to graduation and departures and higher expectations for the likes of Memphis and Central Florida, the Golden Hurricane will still have a battle on its hands if they want to stay among the conference’s top teams.

                      Haith returns three of his top five point producers from last season to give the 2018-19 squad a good foundation to build on. In fact, the roster has a good mix of experienced returning players and some newcomers who could make an immediate impact for a team that was one of the better defensive teams in the country allowing opponents to shoot just 42% last season and their nearly 38 rebounds per game placed them in the nation’s top 62 teams.

                      With the team looking to break into the top of the conference and get past the quarterfinal barrier here is a look at what the Golden Hurricane could look like in 2018-19 and what that means for their season...."

                      Comment


                      • #15
                        Conference schedule comes out tomorrow.

                        Comment

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