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2019-20 Happenings around the AAC
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Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats 2019-20 season preview - FanSided Sports
by Ben Andreatta
posted: 10/23/19, 9:30am cst
It's a new-look Cincinnati Basketball team that the AAC will have to deal with. What should be expected of the Bearcats for 2019-20?
"It’s a new-look Cincinnati Basketball team that the AAC will have to deal with. What should be expected of the Bearcats?
A new era for Cincinnati basketball is about to kick off this season with the departure of long-time head coach Mick Cronin. Cronin led the Bearcats to nine straight tournament appearances but took off to join the UCLA Bruins following a disappointing first-round exit to Iowa. The Bearcats moved right along hiring John Brannen from Northern Kentucky to take over the head coaching duties and he’s got his hands full....
Here’s a look at the Bearcats roster including who could be starting the first game as well as some of the key reserves. I’ll look at some of the key matchups UC has on their non-conference slate, talk about the AAC and give my overall all thoughts on what kind of outlook Bearcat fans should have this season.
Projected Starters
Jaevin Cumberland...
Jarron Cumberland...
Keith Williams...
Tre Scott...
Jaume Sorolla...
Key Reserves
Zach Harvey...
Trevor Moore...
Mamoudou Diarra...
Chris McNeal...
Chris Vogt...
Non-Conference Schedule
Nov 6th @ Ohio State...
Dec 7th @ Xavier...
Dec 18th vs Tennessee...
Dec 21st vs Iowa (Neutral)...
Conference Outlook
Houston and Memphis tied in the preseason coaches poll for first place despite Memphis coming in at #14 in the AP preseason poll. Cincinnati was picked to finish third and even managed to get one vote to finish first in the conference.
Penny Hardaway brings in the number one recruiting class in the nation including James Wiseman, the number one player. Wiseman was picked as the preseason newcomer of the year and will be a nightmare for teams to defend against.
Kelvin Sampson and company lost Armani Brooks and Corey Davis yet there’s still a lot of hype around the Cougars this season. Dejon Jarreau and Nate Hinton are both primed to have breakout years, the fact Houston are co-favorites to win the AAC shows the amount of respect coaches have for Sampson. Quentin Grimes has also been granted a waiver and is immediately eligible, this was not factored into the preseason coaches poll.
Wichita State will again be solid with Greg Marshall and South Florida return quite a few key guys, UConn has a lot of potentials and a young squad. The AAC is deep this season and five bids are not out of the question. Cincinnati has two games against both Houston and Memphis making it pivotal that they take care of business in their other games. There’s going to be a lot of good clashes in the AAC this season.
Season Outlook
Cincinnati is a tournament team, anything less should be considered a disappointment to Bearcats fans. As far as transitions go with new head coaches this should be one of the easier ones. Brannen inherits a team with a lot of talent and he’s wasted no time out on the recruiting trail.John Brannen has assured fans that he wasn’t going to drastically change the style of ball that Cincinnati is known for. The Bearcats will continue to be a gritty and physical team that likes to run the floor. Expect him to experiment a little bit with rotations during the first few games of the year as he tries to figure out what he’s got to work with and who he can rely on in crunch time, Jarron Cumberland’s return for his senior season provides a massive boost for Cincinnati this season, it’s going to make life a lot easier for Brannen. Cumberland has dealt with an injury in the offseason but assuming he’s healthy for the year, he has the capability of carrying Cincinnati and being an All-American.
Add in the big time grad transfer Jaevin Cumberland to the mix, Jaevin helps fill an area where the Bearcats have notoriously struggled, the deep ball. Cincinnati returns a lot of its key pieces from a team that won the AAC Tournament last year. With all this being said the biggest question that remains around Cincinnati is whether or not they can make it to the second weekend. Something Mick Cronin really struggled to do despite a number of tournament appearances."
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UConn freshman Richie Springs to sit out season as academic redshirt. Springs is a 6-foot-9 power forward from Brooklyn, New York. He graduated this spring from the MacDuffie School in Granby, Massachusetts.
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...demic-redshirt
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“I wasn’t expecting for us to be here," Hardaway conceded.
It’s only surprising given how confident Hardaway and his players sounded throughout the offseason.
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TU basketball preview: Hurricane men feature five newcomers... - Tulsa World
By Kelly Hines
posted 11/02/19, 2:00pm cst
"Men’s basketball - Three storylines
Finding chemistry early
At least five players are newcomers (a sixth, Curtis Haywood II, is awaiting word on a waiver request) and they all will be key contributors, making this a season with an unknown ceiling. The Hurricane has an intriguing non-conference schedule that features games against Kansas State, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Boise State and Colorado State, so the team will be tested in the early going while roles are still being sorted out. How TU responds in November and December could reveal what will follow in league play.
Crashing the boards
A lack of consistent rebounding was a major weakness last season for the Hurricane, which ranked last in the American with only 7.8 offensive rebounds per game. In nine out of 18 conference games, TU gave up at least 14 offensive rebounds. This season, the Hurricane will need a better collective effort to flip the script, and it has additional size in the form of reserve 7-footer Emmanuel Ugboh, 6-7 swingman Reggie Jones and 6-6 guard Brandon Rachal.
Seeking postseason return
Since making the NCAA Tournament’s First Four in 2016, the Hurricane has not reached the 20-win mark or played in the postseason in any of the last three years. In the last two years, TU was more competitive in the American but ultimately one-and-done in the conference tournament. Despite not receiving a transfer waiver for guard Keyshawn Embery-Simpson, this team has the potential to be the most talented under sixth-year coach Frank Haith, and missing the postsesason again would be a disappointment...."
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Preseason BPI rankings like Michigan State, skeptical about Memphis - ESPN
By Seth Walder and Paul Sabin
Nov 1, 2019
BPI's initial 2019-20 rankings back up the hype behind preseason No. 1 Michigan State, and are not feeling the love for talented but young Memphis.
"Teams BPI hates
Memphis Tigers (BPI: 134, AP: 14)
Penny Hardaway has the No. 1 recruiting class and a lot of energy around his program. BPI is not buying it. The model is built predictively on what we knew about each D-I team heading into the season and how each team fared that season. BPI typically knocks teams that rely solely on highly touted recruits, as they have not fared as well as experienced teams with good players. .
So how is it that Duke teams largely comprising talented freshman crack the preseason BPI top 15 and Memphis is nowhere close?
Duke has Coach K, who has a great track record that's built into the model. In comparison, we have only one season of information on Hardaway, and Memphis finished 64th in that season. It also does not help that its few returning minutes have only an average offensive efficiency of 99.5. That said, Memphis is in an unusual situation. Typically, coaches with one season of D-I coaching experience don't land No. 1 classes. Should Penny Hardaway be the first of his kind, BPI will adapt quickly....
RANK TEAM 22 Houston 26 Cincinnati 29 Oklahoma State 43 Virginia Commonwealth 51 UCF 53 Oklahoma 55 Connecticut 68 Ole Miss 74 West Virginia 75 Temple 80 South Florida 88 South Carolina 89 Wichita State 95 Tulsa
Other Teams of Interest:RANK TEAM 47 East Tennessee State 70 New Mexico State 77 Loyola (IL)
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Originally posted by Stickboy46 View Post
Big blow for USF. Could be the difference from getting that extra team in the tourney.
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That's a devastating injury to the Bulls. Feel bad for Alexis and their program. Dude is a serious player with a great motor. He would have been a monster this year. I hope he's able to recover fully and continue a career that was destined to earn him a ton of money somewhere.
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