It’s conference preview time!
Over the next few months, we’ll break down one league every week, featuring key questions, preseason power rankings, preseason awards, and more.
This week’s focus is on the American Conference.
Check below for a comprehensive breakdown of the league:
Five Key Questions entering the American Conference
1. Which key transfers will receive waivers from the NCAA?
It’s a fair question considering the current landscape of college basketball. The NCAA continues to pass on providing full clarity as to what grants transfers immediate eligibility without sitting out and what doesn’t. With that said, the ceiling for the American Conference in terms of its NCAA Tournament representation in 2021 may ultimately depend on how many transfers are cleared to play next season without sitting out. Below is a list of the key transfers for the league entering 20-21 who according to sources have filed waivers with the NCAA for immediate eligibility:
- Reggie Chaney, Houston (Arkansas)
- Yor Anei, SMU (Oklahoma State)
- Landers Nolley, Memphis (Virginia Tech), DeAndre Williams, Memphis (Evansville)
- David DeJulius, Cincinnati (Michigan)
- C.J. Walker, UCF (Oregon)
If any of the players listed above receives a waiver from the NCAA to play immediately, it would instantly raise the expectation for the program he plays for. Keep an eye on Walker, a former top-30 recruit who would instantly lift UCF to another level if he was ruled eligible by the NCAA.
2. Can Houston be more effective in end of game situations?
The Cougars won 23 games last season and were well on their way to a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under Kelvin Sampson before everything was shut down last March due to COVID-19. Many programs in America would sign for that type of success, but at Houston the bar is higher. The Cougars were 5-4 last season in games that were decided by five points or less and let several winnable games slip through their fingers. Despite a perimeter heavy attack, Houston had a total of 400 assists as a team last season to 369 total turnovers and lacked the type of on-court stability it possessed two years ago when it had a steady veteran like Galen Robinson at point guard. With four experienced perimeter players — Marcus Sasser, Quentin Grimes, Caleb Mills, and DeJon Jarreau — set to return, expect the Cougars’ precision to be significantly crisper than it was a year ago. If that happens, Sampson has a more than legitimate chance to lead Houston to its second 30-win season in the past three years.
3. Will Memphis make the NCAA Tournament?
Penny Hardaway arrived as the head coach of his alma mater in 2018 with Final Four dreams. Now he’s entering his third season with the Tigers simply attempting to reach his first NCAA Tournament. Hardaway led Memphis to 22 wins in his first year and 21 last season despite James Wiseman only playing three games due to eligibility issues and D.J. Jeffries only playing 19 due to injury. Nevertheless, the administration at Memphis didn’t fire Tubby Smith and hire Hardaway to finish fifth in the American Conference in back-to-back seasons. The Tigers have three potential all-league players in Jeffries, Lester Quinones, and Boogie Ellis along with an elite rim protector in five-star freshman Moussa Cisse. If Hardaway fails to get Memphis to the NCAA Tournament in 2021, the Tigers will be officially underachieving as a program given their talent base.
4. Which team will make the biggest jump?
South Florida. The Bulls were expected to compete for an NCAA Tournament berth in 2020 prior to losing Alexis Yetna to a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. Now with Yetna — who averaged 12.3 points and 9.3 rebounds two years ago as a freshman — back healthy, Brian Gregory has the type of interior anchor he needs up front. South Florida also returns an all-conference guard in David Collins and four other players — Michael Durr, Justin Brown, Zack Dawson, and Xavier Castaneda — who averaged 20 or more minutes last season. Add a top-100 prospect in guard Caleb Murphy and South Florida has the requisites to win 20 or more games after winning 14 a year ago.
5. Who is the sleeper?
East Carolina. If you’re reading that and are a bit shocked then you don’t know enough about Jayden Gardner. The 6-7 forward is the best player in college basketball that not enough people know about and bullied his way to averaging an impressive 19.7 points and 9.2 rebounds last season as a sophomore. Gardner also tallied 13 double-doubles in 19-20, including 10 games with 20 or more points and 10 or more rebounds. So why else are the Pirates a sleeper? In addition to Gardner, Joe Dooley returns eight different players who averaged 15.3 minutes last season, including guards Tyrie Jackson and Tremont Robinson-White, who missed a combined 15 games last year due to injury. East Carolina may have only won 11 games last season, but if this team can stay healthy and everyone else around Gardner takes a step forward, the Pirates have enough to scratch and claw their way towards the middle of the league standings.
American Conference Preseason Power Rankings
1. Houston
2. SMU
3. Memphis
4. South Florida
5. Cincinnati
6. Wichita State
7. Tulsa
8. UCF
9. East Carolina
10. Temple
11. Tulane
American Conference Preseason First-Team
Kendric Davis, SMU
Caleb Mills, Houston
Keith Williams, Cincinnati
Alexis Yetna, South Florida
Jayden Gardner, East Carolina
American Conference Preseason Player of the Year
Caleb Mills, Houston
5 Impact Freshmen
*In no particular order
Tramon Mark, Houston
Moussa Cisse, Memphis
Caleb Murphy, South Florida
Tari Eason, Cincinnati
Victor Lahkin, Cincinnati
10 Impact Transfers
*In no particular order
*This does include transfers who have filed for waivers with the NCAA
Cameron Tyson, Houston (Idaho)
Darius McNeill, SMU (Cal)
Isaiah Stokes, Memphis (Florida)
Rapolas Ivanauskas, Cincinnati (Colgate)
Darius Perry, UCF (Louisville)
Clarence Jackson, Wichita State (JUCO)
Craig Porter, Wichita State (JUCO)
Alterique Gilbert, Wichita State (UConn)
Curtis Haywood, Tulsa (Georgia Tech)
Keyshawn Embery-Simpson, Tulsa (Arkansas)
5 Breakout Players
*In no particular order
Marcus Sasser, Houston
Mika Adams-Woods, Cincinnati
Tyson Etienne, Wichita State
Boogie Ellis, Memphis
J.J. Miles, East Carolina
