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For those of you that don't have insider. From everyone's favorite Jeff Goodman:
Last season, UConn finished in a three-way tie in the AAC regular season with SMU and Memphis before embarking on a magical NCAA tournament run that culminated in a national championship.
This season, are the Huskies -- after losing star point guard Shabazz Napier -- the favorites to win the conference? Check out our conference preview here as well as previews on AAC teams that made our top 25 to watch list.
To go even deeper on which team is the preseason favorite, we polled a number of coaches in the American Athletic to get their take on the league this season:
AAC preseason coaches poll
Total votes next to teams; number of first-place votes in parentheses
1. SMU Mustangs: 170 total points (10)
2. Connecticut Huskies: 166 (8)
3. Memphis Tigers: 142
4. Cincinnati Bearcats: 126
5. Tulsa Golden Hurricane: 110
6. Temple Owls: 98
7. UCF Knights: 70
8. Houston Cougars: 62
9. South Florida Bulls: 54
10. East Carolina Pirates: 40
11. Tulane Green Wave: 18
In addition to casting their votes on the league order, a number of AAC coaches weighed in on key topics heading into the season, including player of the year, top team and more. Here's a roundup of their thoughts:
On the league: "I think it's fairly wide-open, but SMU is the team to beat. They have their entire team back, they added some good pieces and have experience."
On SMU to win the league: "They return just about everyone and I think they're ready to take the next step. UConn and Memphis should be right there, but I think SMU has grown and they have so many options. They have a point guard who runs the team, scoring on the wings and an interior presence. They can score in a lot of different ways."
On UConn: "They lost a lot more than people realize. It's almost as if they have a completely new team. The key will be how they mesh together and also whether [Ryan] Boatright wants to lead the team or just score."
On Memphis: "No one knows how they'll be because their entire perimeter is brand-new. It depends whether they get (Vanderbilt transfer) Kedren Johnson eligible. They have two quality big men, but guards are what ultimately wins -- and that's why they need Johnson so bad."
On Cincinnati potentially falling out of the top four: "I'm not sure they are going to finish in the top four this season. They lost a lot -- not just [Sean] Kilpatrick. Everyone just assumes that because they are a Big East team, they are going to finish towards the top, but I think they could finish sixth or seventh. They need to find someone who can shoot it."
The surprise of the league: "Temple or Tulane. I think Tulsa will be good, even going into a new league. They have most of their guys back from a team that went to the NCAA tourney."
Last season, UConn finished in a three-way tie in the AAC regular season with SMU and Memphis before embarking on a magical NCAA tournament run that culminated in a national championship.
This season, are the Huskies -- after losing star point guard Shabazz Napier -- the favorites to win the conference? Check out our conference preview here as well as previews on AAC teams that made our top 25 to watch list.
To go even deeper on which team is the preseason favorite, we polled a number of coaches in the American Athletic to get their take on the league this season:
AAC preseason coaches poll
Total votes next to teams; number of first-place votes in parentheses
1. SMU Mustangs: 170 total points (10)
2. Connecticut Huskies: 166 (8)
3. Memphis Tigers: 142
4. Cincinnati Bearcats: 126
5. Tulsa Golden Hurricane: 110
6. Temple Owls: 98
7. UCF Knights: 70
8. Houston Cougars: 62
9. South Florida Bulls: 54
10. East Carolina Pirates: 40
11. Tulane Green Wave: 18
In addition to casting their votes on the league order, a number of AAC coaches weighed in on key topics heading into the season, including player of the year, top team and more. Here's a roundup of their thoughts:
On the league: "I think it's fairly wide-open, but SMU is the team to beat. They have their entire team back, they added some good pieces and have experience."
On SMU to win the league: "They return just about everyone and I think they're ready to take the next step. UConn and Memphis should be right there, but I think SMU has grown and they have so many options. They have a point guard who runs the team, scoring on the wings and an interior presence. They can score in a lot of different ways."
On UConn: "They lost a lot more than people realize. It's almost as if they have a completely new team. The key will be how they mesh together and also whether [Ryan] Boatright wants to lead the team or just score."
On Memphis: "No one knows how they'll be because their entire perimeter is brand-new. It depends whether they get (Vanderbilt transfer) Kedren Johnson eligible. They have two quality big men, but guards are what ultimately wins -- and that's why they need Johnson so bad."
On Cincinnati potentially falling out of the top four: "I'm not sure they are going to finish in the top four this season. They lost a lot -- not just [Sean] Kilpatrick. Everyone just assumes that because they are a Big East team, they are going to finish towards the top, but I think they could finish sixth or seventh. They need to find someone who can shoot it."
The surprise of the league: "Temple or Tulane. I think Tulsa will be good, even going into a new league. They have most of their guys back from a team that went to the NCAA tourney."
