Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

2019-20 Happenings around the AAC

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Originally posted by shock-it-to-me View Post

    This team wouldn’t lose to Marshall, I can tell you that.
    Never say never, but I agree with the sentiment. The team from the last 20 games of 2019 likely would have fared ok as well.

    Comment


    • AAC begins league play with 3 teams above the rest - Houston Chronicle

      By Joseph Duarte
      Dec. 30, 2019



      "The American Athletic Conference begins league basketball play this week with two familiar schools ranked, another set to begin defense of its title, and a handful others lurking in the shadows. Just the type of deep conference that could lead to beating up on one another on a weekly basis.

      “I don’t think anybody thought anybody could go 16-2 last year. I sure didn’t,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said of his team’s AAC regular-season record, which produced the school’s first outright conference title since 1984. “We did because we got good. If anybody can go 16-2 this year it would be either Memphis or Wichita State. I don’t think anybody else can.”

      Through non-conference play, Memphis (11-1) and Wichita State (11-1) have been the top teams in the league. The Tigers, who start four freshmen, are ranked No. 9, and the Shockers on Monday entered the Associated Press poll for the first time in nearly two years at No. 24...

      Sampson believes the AAC, after sending four schools to the NCAA Tournament last season, could receive even more bids this March. “I think we’ll get more this year,” Sampson said. “I don’t think the league records are going to be as good, but that’s because all the teams have gotten better.”...."


      Comment


      • Originally posted by WuShock Reaper View Post
        AAC begins league play with 3 teams above the rest - Houston Chronicle

        By Joseph Duarte
        Dec. 30, 2019



        "The American Athletic Conference begins league basketball play this week with two familiar schools ranked, another set to begin defense of its title, and a handful others lurking in the shadows. Just the type of deep conference that could lead to beating up on one another on a weekly basis.

        “I don’t think anybody thought anybody could go 16-2 last year. I sure didn’t,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said of his team’s AAC regular-season record, which produced the school’s first outright conference title since 1984. “We did because we got good. If anybody can go 16-2 this year it would be either Memphis or Wichita State. I don’t think anybody else can.”

        Through non-conference play, Memphis (11-1) and Wichita State (11-1) have been the top teams in the league. The Tigers, who start four freshmen, are ranked No. 9, and the Shockers on Monday entered the Associated Press poll for the first time in nearly two years at No. 24...

        Sampson believes the AAC, after sending four schools to the NCAA Tournament last season, could receive even more bids this March. “I think we’ll get more this year,” Sampson said. “I don’t think the league records are going to be as good, but that’s because all the teams have gotten better.”...."

        Really like Kelvin. Good guy and good coach.

        Comment


        • Originally posted by wichshock65 View Post

          Really like Kelvin. Good guy and good coach.
          He sure doesn't dish out much bulletin board material.
          "You Just Want to Slap The #### Outta Some People"

          Comment


          • Originally posted by wichshock65 View Post

            Really like Kelvin. Good guy and good coach.
            He's just been ethically challenged over the years.

            Comment


            • Originally posted by Shocker_Power View Post

              He's just been ethically challenged over the years.
              he sent a bunch of texts which are not against NCAA rules now.

              Comment


              • Originally posted by ABC View Post

                he sent a bunch of texts which are not against NCAA rules now.
                But he knowingly violated the same rule, while at Indiana, that got him in trouble at OU. If nothing else, he might not be bright :)

                Comment


                • AAC Basketball power rankings: Memphis, Wichita State leads heading into league play - FanSided Sports

                  by Ben Andreatta
                  posted: 12/31/19, 7:15 am cst

                  https://bustingbrackets.com/2019/12/...nference-play/

                  "Very little change in the AAC Basketball power rankings before conference games, how do the teams stack up going into the new year?

                  AAC Basketball has been extremely up and down to start the season, things haven’t quite gone to expectation for everyone but it sets up what should be a great conference schedule. We’ve seen drama in Memphis with James Wiseman leaving school to turn pro and teams building their tournament resumes.

                  There are two AAC teams in the AP Top 25 Poll this week with Memphis coming in at nine and Wichita State joining the rankings at 24. Houston also received some votes in this week’s poll following their win against Washington.Those three have put themselves into the best position to get an at large bid come March. There’s no reason to think the AAC can’t get four or more bids this year, there’s a lot of quality. Things didn’t look great to start the season but they’ve turned it around down the stretch with some big wins.

                  Conference play is a different stage, every game is important for these teams for seeding in the AAC tournament and there’s a lot of teams capable of winning that. The middle of the pack in the AAC is a lot better than in recent years setting things up to be good. There’s not very many “give me” games for teams. There’s a lot of basketball still to be played this season but we’ll take a look at the resume for teams and how they faired in non-conference play, we’ll also look at how they set up for conference play and some expectations.

                  12. East Carolina Pirates (Prior Ranking: 12)...
                  11. Tulane Green Wave (Prior Ranking: 11)...
                  10. South Florida Bulls (Prior Ranking: 9)...
                  9. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (Prior Rank: 10)...
                  8. SMU Mustangs (Prior Rank: 8)...
                  7. UCF Knights (Prior Rank: 7)...
                  6. Cincinnati Bearcats (Prior Rank: 6)...
                  5. UConn Huskies (Prior Rank: 5)...
                  4. Temple Owls (Prior Rank: 4)...
                  3. Houston Cougars (Prior Rank: 3)...
                  2. Wichita State Shockers (Prior Rank: 2)
                  Wichita State has been really good through non-conference play, their only loss is to West Virginia who just knocked off Ohio State. They have some quality wins under their belt and are just getting Jaime Echenique back from injury. At 11-1 the Shockers are a well-balanced team who are sound on both sides of the ball. They’re ranked in the top 100 in both points per game and points allowed per game. Echenique will need to stay out of foul trouble as he’s their biggest presence down low. They have one more non-conference game against Ole Miss sandwiched in between East Carolina and a showdown with #9 Memphis. This matchup will be highly anticipated and tell us a lot about the top of the AAC. Wichita State and Memphis won’t play again until the beginning of March. The Shockers enter the rankings at 24 this week and it’s well deserved. They should have been ranked last week but they’ve got in there this week. The Shockers and Greg Marshall are contenders in the AAC and should be taken seriously. With their resume, an at large bid at a minimum looks likely.
                  1. Memphis Tigers (Prior Rank: 1)
                  No James Wiseman and there have been no problems. Precious Achiuwa and DJ Jeffries are good enough for Memphis to win the AAC. The Tigers had a good non-conference campaign finishing 11-1. They’re ranked in the top 40 for points per game and points allowed per game. This is a young team with a lot of potential. Achiuwa is leading the team with 14.3 points per game, he’s a candidate to win AAC Player of the Year. He’s been exceptional so far this season and will continue to get better as time goes on. He’s the guy Penny Hardaway will likely go to in crunch time when the Tigers are in need of a basket. There’s been a lot of distraction early in the season with Wiseman announcing he would be leaving following a lengthy suspension. Memphis has quietly been taking care of business following his departure. They’re ranked number nine in the country in the most recent AP poll. This is a team with a coach in his second year and is full of freshman and sophomores, there’s a lot of guys on the team that can score and they can all defend. Memphis is in a position to make the tournament barring a dreadful conference showing."

                  Comment


                  • Around the American: One week down, many questions arise - 247 Sports

                    By WILL TURNER
                    Posted: 01/06/20, 1:15pm cst

                    https://247sports.com/college/south-...ton-141717207/

                    "With one week down in the American Athletic Conference, there seems to be more questions than answers as conference play got off to an up-and-down start.

                    Since Monday has arrived, it's time for the weekly edition of Around the American, where we look at each of the AAC teams and what's going on with each of the 12 teams. Wichita State and SMU picked up not just its first win in conference play, the two squads picked up solid non-conference victories over SEC squads on Saturday. The American finished 3-1 in the first year of the American/SEC alliance with Houston, Wichita State and SMU picking up wins. The conference entered into a scheduling alliance with the SEC that features four teams from each conference playing home-and-home series over the next two seasons.

                    Meanwhile, UConn and UCF are off to tough starts, while Cincinnati lost a stunner to Tulane this week, which leads us to wonder if the power in the conference is shifting, once again. Conference play resumes Tuesday with two games: USF goes to East Carolina, while Houston heads to Philadelphia to battle Temple.

                    CONFERENCE STANDINGS AND OUTLOOK
                    No. 23 Wichita State (13-1, 1-0): A New Year's Day clash with East Carolina was a little more of a challenge than previously thought, as the Pirates made it a three-point game with 1:54 to play before the Shockers made just enough free throws down the stretch to win by four. On Saturday, Wichita State strengthened its resume even more with a 20-point win over Ole Miss. Erik Stevenson scored 29 points in the victory and averaged 23 for the week. Next up is a marquee matchup with Penny Hardaway and Memphis. The Shockers were up one spot in the AP Top 25 this week to 23rd.

                    No. 21 Memphis (12-2, 1-0): After an conference opening victory over Tulane on Monday, where Lester Quinones scored 16 and the Tigers shot 54% from the field, the ninth-ranked team in America stepped out of conference play and welcomed Georgia to the FedEx Forum. Memphis went cold during the most important stretch of the game, scoring just a single point in the final 4:35. Georgia's Rayshaun Williams knocked down a triple with 4:05 remaining to snap Memphis' nine-game win streak. Precious Achiuwa scored 20 points and had 15 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season in the losing effort, tying ECU's Jayden Gardner and Houston's Nate Hinton for the league lead. Memphis dropped 12 spots in the AP Top 25 poll this week, which is a little strange considering how good the Tigers' resume is.

                    SMU (11-2, 1-0): A pair of quality wins proved that SMU is certainly a team to watch out for. The Mustangs dominated USF at Moody Coliseum on New Year's Day, leading by as many as 28 in the second half. Isiaha Mike scored 24 and had three steals as SMU shot 77% (23-of-30) inside the arc. Then as a part of the American/SEC Alliance, the Mustangs erased a 15-point second half deficit with a furious rally over the final 6:06 to send it into overtime. Kendric Davis scored eight points in the overtime period to finish with 24, helping his side win by 11.

                    RV Houston (11-3, 1-0): The Cougars received votes in both the AP and Coaches Polls this week and rolled to a 78-63 win over UCF on Friday. Nate Hinton played 36 minutes in the win and scored 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting with 16 rebounds for a seventh double-double, tying Jayden Gardner and Precious Achiuwa for the AAC lead. Hinton's 9.7 RPG ranks second in the conference on a team that continues to boast the second-best rebounding margin in the NCAA at +11.1 per game. Fabian White Jr. received last week's Player of the Week honor.

                    Tulsa (9-5, 1-0):...
                    Temple (9-4, 1-1):...
                    Tulane (9-5, 1-1):...
                    Cincinnati (8-6, 1-1):...
                    USF (8-7, 1-1):...
                    East Carolina (6-8, 0-1):...
                    UCF (9-5, 0-2):...
                    UConn (9-5, 0-2):..."


                    Comment


                    • PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The American Athletic Conference announced its weekly men’s basketball honors for Jan. 13.

                      http://theamerican.org/news/2020/1/1...ly-honors.aspx

                      PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Jayden Gardner, So., F, ECU

                      FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK - Precious Achiuwa, F, Memphis

                      WEEKLY HONOR ROLL-
                      Trevon Scott, R-Sr., F, Cincinnati
                      Christian Vital, Sr., G, UConn
                      Kendric Davis, So., G, SMU
                      Caleb Mills, Fr., G, Houston
                      K.J. Lawson, Gr., F, Tulane


                      I know it's about individual performance, but I'll take wins over any individual honors, any day and every day.

                      3 and 0 in the AAC is a pretty good start.

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by WuShock Reaper View Post
                        PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The American Athletic Conference announced its weekly men’s basketball honors for Jan. 13.

                        http://theamerican.org/news/2020/1/1...ly-honors.aspx

                        PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Jayden Gardner, So., F, ECU

                        FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK - Precious Achiuwa, F, Memphis

                        WEEKLY HONOR ROLL-
                        Trevon Scott, R-Sr., F, Cincinnati
                        Christian Vital, Sr., G, UConn
                        Kendric Davis, So., G, SMU
                        Caleb Mills, Fr., G, Houston
                        K.J. Lawson, Gr., F, Tulane


                        I know it's about individual performance, but I'll take wins over any individual honors, any day and every day.

                        3 and 0 in the AAC is a pretty good start.
                        LOL. I thought we left the Valley?

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by Cdizzle View Post

                          LOL. I thought we left the Valley?
                          The AAC is probably happy that Precious is a freshman. That way they can pass the POW award around and just give Precious the freshman of the week award every week.

                          Comment


                          • The biggest questions for the top conferences in college basketball - ESPN

                            By Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer
                            Posted: 01/14-20, 6:00 AM CT

                            Get the latest NCAA basketball news, scores, stats, standings, and more from ESPN.


                            "...We're also faced with a series of unknowns in the conference races that have commenced in recent weeks. Here are the most significant questions in each league right now:...

                            American - How has James Wiseman's departure impacted the league's race?
                            The top of the American Athletic Conference is interesting, mostly because Memphis star James Wiseman left the program to prepare for the NBA rather than return after his 12-game suspension for violating NCAA rules when Penny Hardaway gave his mother $11,500 for moving expenses prior to his stint as head coach. Memphis is still a solid team. But the Wichita State squad that topped Memphis last week and outlasted UConn in double overtime Sunday could win this conference. Cincinnati (vs. Tulane) and Houston (vs. Tulsa) have already suffered sub-100 losses in league play.

                            But this could evolve into a fascinating race, especially if Sunday's Wichita State-UConn matchup was an indication of the competition ahead. Although the sample size for Wiseman was small (he played in just three games, including a neutral-site game against Oregon), he had a significant impact on his team's ceiling. The Tigers made more than 61% of their shots inside the arc with Wiseman on the floor. He's a next-level talent. But it's imprudent to suggest that Memphis might have bullied the American, a league filled with disciplined programs and great head coaches, if Wiseman had stayed. Perhaps Memphis, not Wichita State, would have been the team the rest of the conference had to chase. Still, the young Tigers, who have had problems with turnovers but have enjoyed the best interior defense in the country with Precious Achiuwa anchoring the post, would have encountered hurdles. Without a game-changing talent dominating the league, however, a handful of teams could win the title...."

                            Comment


                            • 3 things for Thursday - ESPN



                              AAC pecking order
                              Wichita State could be the cream of the crop in the American this season, but the Shockers lost to Temple on Wednesday and either way, it's a fairly wide-open league. The five teams at the top of the standings all exited Wednesday with one loss. Thursday should help decide some of the debate, as Memphis hosts Cincinnati. The Tigers lost two in a row before winning at South Florida last weekend, and Cincinnati has started 3-1 in conference play after a 7-5 effort in nonconference games. I'm interested to see if Penny Hardaway further adjusts his starting lineup. He moved Alex Lomax into the starting five last game, but sophomore Tyler Harris continues to produce off the bench. He has scored 17 points in back-to-back games.

                              Comment


                              • Who are the biggest overachievers, underachievers in top leagues? - ESPN

                                Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer
                                posted: 01/28/20, 6:00 AM CT



                                "At this point, college basketball's chaos, for better or worse, has led to a series of surprises in each league. Sure, more than six weeks still remain until Selection Sunday. And we all know a lot can change between now and then.

                                But some of the results thus far? Few predicted the following surprises in each league....

                                American

                                Overachieving: Tulsa
                                Frank Haith's program started the week tied atop the American standings with Houston, both with 6-1 records in league play. Tulsa followed last week's 40-point win over Memphis with a 79-75 OT road win over UConn on Sunday. This year, Haith's squad added seven newcomers, which is probably why it was picked to finish 10th in the American. But junior guard Brandon Rachal (14.8 points per game) leads the best defensive team in the league (23.4% clip from beyond the arc for opponents). From 10th in the league to the NCAA tournament? It's possible.

                                Underachieving: Memphis
                                After last week's 40-point loss to a Tulsa team that had previously lost to Arkansas State, Colorado State and UT Arlington -- all sub-100 teams in the NET rankings -- by 24 points combined, the wheels fell off Penny Hardaway's bandwagon. The Tigers, who have lost four of their past six, could miss the NCAA tournament after entering the season as the co-favorite in the American with Houston. Yeah, James Wiseman's departure after playing in three games before his subsequent suspension hurt the program. But they're one of the league's worst offensive teams, committing turnovers on nearly one-quarter of their possessions and making just 64% of their free throws. This is bad. And it might get worse...."

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X