AAC Will Be Bad. But How Bad?

[StepbackCity]

When UCF is gonna be the top team going into the year, you know it'll be bad. But Cronin and Marshall will find a way, right? Memphis is unknown since they got talent, but who knows about Hardaway. Temple could be good if Quinton Rose breaks out. Let's not even start talking about the other teams tho...

But with the best player in the conference with a new coach and most of the team returning, we should be in good shape for our first top 3 AAC finish (i know, absurd) and a possible NCAA at large if all goes well in the non-conference games.

Thoughts?

 

[whaler11]

Oh my god... is that @StunningSteve ’s music?

 

[Jaker]

Pain and suffering

 

[JellyBean]

Memphis is going to blow the doors off the conference. I can't wait to see what they bring to the conference. That Swag. OMG!!

 

[Bryan Lord]

It's gonna be so bad they're gonna award our Auto bid to divisions 3 St Joe's.

 

[gtcam]

If it is going to be as bad as Stepback feels, with all the returning players and the new energy that DH will bring, anything less than an outright regular season title and conference toutrnament championship will be a huge dissappointment

 

[StepbackCity]

If it is going to be as bad as Stepback feels, with all the returning players and the new energy that Dan Hurley will bring, anything less than an outright regular season title and conference toutrnament championship will be a huge dissappointment

Wouldn't go that far. So many unknowns about the roster. Will Alterique be healthy? Will our bigs show up this year? Can we play smart and tough (Something completely missing last couple years)? Have not heard one person pick us as the #1 team yet, but thats because of all the unknowns. We don't even know if guys will be comfortable in Hurley's offense.

 

[StunningSteve]

I like Houston.
Some people thought they'd drop off after Dotson was drafted by the Knicks, and they were demonstrably better. Watch out for Armoni Brooks (besides the Louisiana kids and Nate Hinton).



The coaches in this league are too good to slip all the way back down the mountain due to NBA/grads.
With Landry Shamet, Shake Milton, Melvin Frazier, and Jacob Evans going pro early pundits are underselling the guys coming up behind them.
UCF of course is the name everyone knows because Tacko Fall, BJ Taylor, and Aubrey Dawkins, are going to man what was one of the best defenses in MBB last year.
However, the cupboards aren't bare at the top 8-9 schools. Just unproven.
The league took a huge step this offseason with the hires of Hurley, Hardaway, Dooley, and McKie (as C.I.W.).
Memphis and UConn were actually in a very similar situation last year with a ton of new guys. I see both UConn/Memphis competing for post season bids year 1, because of the maturation of those players.

Here's how I see the AAC next year, in levels.

Reload (Level 1): NCAA Teams
Sampson: Houston
Cronin: Cincinnati
Dawkins: UCF

Regroup (Level 2): Bid Contenders - NCAA-NIT
Dunleavy: Temple - NCAA Bubble/NIT
Hardaway: Memphis - NCAA Bubble/NIT
Jankovich: SMU - NCAA Bubble/NIT
Hurley: UConn - NIT
Marshall: Wichita State - NIT
Haith: Tulsa - NIT

Recommit (Level 3): Program Developing
Dunleavy: Tulane
Gregory: USF
Dooley: ECU