From the SMU Rivals site...
1. SMU (11-0). The Mustangs keep rolling along. The win over Colorado to take the Las Vegas Classic was a nice feather in SMU's cap after the second-half comeback. League play starts with a tough challenge for the team with a trip to Tulsa, which no doubt has some revenge in mind after the disappointing loss to SMU in the regular season finale a year ago.
2. Cincinnati (10-3). The win over VCU was nice but there is no doubt that Cincy is disappointed it failed to get a statement win over Iowa State or Xavier in non-conference play. This means Cincinnati will have to do serious work in American play to guarantee an at-large bid in March.
3. Connecticut (8-3). The Huskies are the hottest team in the conference outside of SMU, riding a three-game winning streak. But UConn has one more out-of-conference test before getting into the meat of its schedule with a trip to Austin to face the Longhorns. Missing Amida Brimah for the foreseeable future is definitely a concern for UConn, though.
4. Houston (9-2). Those waiting for the Cougars to fall off are still waiting. The close-call against Wyoming was a sign that Houston is for real, capable of beating a very solid team. They'll get an easy matchup with Nicholls State before starting conference play in Tampa.
5. Memphis (8-3). While the Tigers seemed like a safe bet to drop off with questions surrounding Josh Pastner's job, the team has remained focused and played beyond expectations in OOC play. They start league play against Tulane before deviating to South Carolina for a chance at a road win over a Top 25 opponent.
6. Tulsa (8-4). Tulsa drew the short straw, starting American play against SMU and then on the road against Cincy. But wins against Wichita State and Oklahoma State are a sign that Tulsa can handle the heat in AAC play though it needs to solve some issues on offense.
7. Temple (5-5). This has been a disappointing season for the Owls with so much talent on the roster but that's the price you pay for frontloading your schedule with matchups against the likes of North Carolina, Utah, Wisconsin and Butler. Temple will be one of the first teams to test if Houston is a real American contender.
8. East Carolina (8-5). The Pirates are strong rebounders, which contributed to their solid OOC play. If they figure out how to move the ball effectively ECU could cause some issues in conference play.
9. Tulane (7-6). The Green Wave are a little better than most expected but the offense leaves a lot to be desired when leading scorer Louis Dabney shoots 36 percent from the field.
10. UCF (6-4). Pretty much the only reason to watch the Knights this year is to see giant Tacko Fall play but you'd think someone who stands 7-foot-6 could grab more than 5.7 rebounds per game.
11. USF (3-10). The Bulls continue to suffer through blowout after blowout. That's what happens when you shoot 41.1 percent from the field and 26.2 from 3-point land.
1. SMU (11-0). The Mustangs keep rolling along. The win over Colorado to take the Las Vegas Classic was a nice feather in SMU's cap after the second-half comeback. League play starts with a tough challenge for the team with a trip to Tulsa, which no doubt has some revenge in mind after the disappointing loss to SMU in the regular season finale a year ago.
2. Cincinnati (10-3). The win over VCU was nice but there is no doubt that Cincy is disappointed it failed to get a statement win over Iowa State or Xavier in non-conference play. This means Cincinnati will have to do serious work in American play to guarantee an at-large bid in March.
3. Connecticut (8-3). The Huskies are the hottest team in the conference outside of SMU, riding a three-game winning streak. But UConn has one more out-of-conference test before getting into the meat of its schedule with a trip to Austin to face the Longhorns. Missing Amida Brimah for the foreseeable future is definitely a concern for UConn, though.
4. Houston (9-2). Those waiting for the Cougars to fall off are still waiting. The close-call against Wyoming was a sign that Houston is for real, capable of beating a very solid team. They'll get an easy matchup with Nicholls State before starting conference play in Tampa.
5. Memphis (8-3). While the Tigers seemed like a safe bet to drop off with questions surrounding Josh Pastner's job, the team has remained focused and played beyond expectations in OOC play. They start league play against Tulane before deviating to South Carolina for a chance at a road win over a Top 25 opponent.
6. Tulsa (8-4). Tulsa drew the short straw, starting American play against SMU and then on the road against Cincy. But wins against Wichita State and Oklahoma State are a sign that Tulsa can handle the heat in AAC play though it needs to solve some issues on offense.
7. Temple (5-5). This has been a disappointing season for the Owls with so much talent on the roster but that's the price you pay for frontloading your schedule with matchups against the likes of North Carolina, Utah, Wisconsin and Butler. Temple will be one of the first teams to test if Houston is a real American contender.
8. East Carolina (8-5). The Pirates are strong rebounders, which contributed to their solid OOC play. If they figure out how to move the ball effectively ECU could cause some issues in conference play.
9. Tulane (7-6). The Green Wave are a little better than most expected but the offense leaves a lot to be desired when leading scorer Louis Dabney shoots 36 percent from the field.
10. UCF (6-4). Pretty much the only reason to watch the Knights this year is to see giant Tacko Fall play but you'd think someone who stands 7-foot-6 could grab more than 5.7 rebounds per game.
11. USF (3-10). The Bulls continue to suffer through blowout after blowout. That's what happens when you shoot 41.1 percent from the field and 26.2 from 3-point land.
