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2022-2023 AAC Basketball Power Rankings Week 12

Bythatffnerd

Jan 27, 2023
Damian Dunn, Temple Owls, AAC BasketballPHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 15: Temple Owls guard Damian Dunn (1) takes a shot during a college basketball game between the Memphis Tigers and the Temple Owls on January 15, 2023, at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Charles Brock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Nerd gives his AAC basketball power rankings for week 12 of the 2022-23 college basketball season.

Matchup of the week: Temple vs. UCF

Sneaky good matchup of the week: SMU vs. Memphis

All games listed are EST.

1) Houston Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)

Record: 18-2 (6-1)

Last week: @ Tulane (W) 80-60, Temple (L) 56-55

Next week: @ UCF (Jan. 25 @ 7 p.m.), Cincinnati (Jan. 28 @ 2:15 p.m.)

Best wins: Virginia, Saint Mary’s, UCF, Oregon. @ Tulane

Worst losses: Temple

Coach Sampson trusted his team to execute. The Cougars had excellent ball movement, took smart shots, and played Houston basketball. Houston shot over 50% in every category, including from 3-point range. The Cougars could work on its free throws but had limited opportunities going 6-of-9 for 66.7%. Marcus Sasser was feeling it on his way to a 23-point night. Sasser went 8-for-13 from the field and 7-of-12 from 3-point range. J’Wan Roberts followed Sasser and went 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe for 15 points. Shead was the final player who fed off Sasser, going 6-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range for 14 points, and handed out seven assists. Walker struggled but led the team in rebounds with nine. Tulane could not go inside as the Cougars came up with seven blocks. Hard to beat the Cougar team when it plays like that.

The worse offensive performance from the Cougars in a long time. Houston fell to Temple as the team shot 33.9% from the field, a good 35.3% from 3-point range, and an abysmal 52.4% at the free-throw line. The game was lost here. Cougars outrebounded the Owls and had only nine assists but had eight steals and forced 13 turnovers. Houston also matched Temple with four blocks. The Cougar’s shots were not falling, and J’Wan Roberts fouled out and had to sit for 10 minutes in the second half when he picked up his fourth and fouled out with a minute left that gave Temple the lead after a five-minute scoring drought for the Owls.

2) Temple Owls

Last week’s ranking: 5 (+3)

Record: 12-9 (6-2)

Last week: East Carolina (W) 73-58, @ #1 Houston (W) 56-55

Next week: South Florida (Jan. 25 @ 7 p.m.), @ Central Florida (Jan. 28 @ noon)

Best wins: Villanova, Rutgers, Cincinnati

Worst losses: Wagner, Vanderbilt, Penn, Maryland Eastern Shore

In the first half, ECU put up a battle and had 13-second chance points, giving them the lead going into the half by five. Coach McKie saw something that worked in the second half, and it won the Owls’ game. Damien Dunn started the second half after making five of his seven points from the charity stripe. Dunn’s miss-match was evident. Coming to the line with twelve more opportunities, Dunn took over and was the difference in the game. The battle was a boost as the offensive weapon put up 20 points. Dunn put up 22 points, with 16 coming from free throw opportunities. Temple had solid ball movement, creating second chance and transition buckets with eight steals and four blocks. The Owls only had eight total turnovers and forced 17 for ECU.

Temple continues to have its random big wins. They were taking down the number-one team in the nation. The Owls shot 31.1% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and took advantage of the charity stripe, shooting 90.9% or 20-of-22. The ball movement helped Temple hand out 11 assists on 14 made shots. Coach McKie has areas to focus on for some more wins this week. The team was outrebounded by six, with seven coming on the offensive end. The Owls turned the ball over 13 times and only forced seven turnovers, with two coming from steals. Temple was outplayed statistically but managed to win at the free-throw line. Damien Dunn put up 16 points and had help from Zach Hicks, who added 12 points. However, what sealed it was the clutch blocks at the end of the game.

3) Memphis Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 6 (+3)

Record: 15-5 (5-2)

Last week: Wichita State (W) 88-78, @ Cincinnati (W) 75-68

Next week: SMU (Jan. 26 @ 7 p.m.), @ Tulsa (Jan. 29 @ 5 p.m.)

Best wins: Auburn, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, @ Temple, @ Cincinnati

Worst losses: @ Tulane

The Tigers controlled the game against the Shockers. Memphis shot the ball the best it has all year. With the 3-point percentage out of control, Kendric Davis may have finally found his stroke 4-of-5 from the 3-point range. The Tigers shot 53.6% from the field and 52.4% from 3-point range. DeAndre Williams was a factor putting up a career-high 29 points and 15 rebounds, and a block. Davis followed up with 20 points and handed out five assists. Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu was a force inside, coming up with five blocks. Memphis came up with eight steals and turned over the Shockers 13 times. The Tigers crashed the boards out, rebounding the Wichita State on both ends of the floor. The team moved the ball well with 17 assists.

Grabbed a big win at Cincinnati, Memphis played solid basketball. The Tigers shot the ball well, made smart plays, and moved the ball well. Memphis shot 48.1% from the field, 35.7% from 3-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line. The Tigers outrebounded and handed out more assists. Memphis was efficient and aggressive. The team took smart shots, got to the free-throw line for 24 opportunities, and made 20. Memphis managed to turn the ball over 13 times and had three steals. No surprise, Memphis was led by DeAndre Willaims, with 26 points and eight rebounds. Kendric Davis added 21 points, five rebounds, and six assists. The team may have finally found another crucial piece in Keonte Kennedy, who added ten points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. With the lack of Lomax and Hardaway just returning, Kennedy may have earned more minutes moving forward.

4) Tulane Green Wave

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-2)

Record: 12-7 (5-3)

Last week: #1 Houston (L) 80-60, @ Tulsa (L) 81-79

Next week: @ Wichita State (Jan. 25 @ 9 p.m.)

Best wins: Memphis, UCF, @ Temple

Worst losses: George Mason, #1 Houston, @ Tulsa

Tulane faced the number one team in the nation but could not get their shots to fall. The Green Wave had its opportunities but shot 23.1% from 3-point range and did ok from the floor, shooting 40% from the field. Tulane grabbed 27 rebounds, only eight fewer than Houston. The team had ten assists which was fine, but there were a few opportunities that the shot was just missed. The Green Wave caused 14 turnovers, with seven coming from steals matching Houston. However, most games’ second-chance opportunities and transition buckets were the difference. Falling just short, Kevin Cross was injured with a pinky injury on his way to a 12-point night. Forbes continued his streak of seven games with over 20 points as he put up 23 points. Cook added 15 points.

This game was a battle as Tulane fell short in overtime against Tulsa. The Green Wave struggled with its 3-pointers and just its shots in general. Tulane outrebound Tulsa and came up with more steals and turnovers than Tulsa. The Green Wave was also the aggressor and got to the free-throw line more and converted. This is how Tulane stayed in the game. The Green Wave shot 41.5% from the field, 28% from 3-point range, and 72% from the free throw line. This could have been a lot worse for Tulane. Coach Hunter has a great matchup to bounce back against Wichita State this week. Forbes, 20-point games ended as he struggled from the floor, only putting up 8 points. Cook put up 23 points, six assists, four rebounds, and two steals for the clear team leader in this game. Tulane had four players in double-digits, Cook clearly, then James (13), Pope (12), and Holloway (11).

5) Cincinnati Bearcats

Last week’s ranking: 4 (-1)

Record: 14-7 (5-3)

Last week: @ South Florida (W) 85-69, Memphis (L) 75-68

Next week: @ Houston (Jan. 28 @ 2:15 p.m.)

Best wins: Bryant, La Salle, Tulane

Worst losses: Northern Kentucky, Memphis

Cincinnati controlled the game by grabbing a lead with 12:27 left in the first half. Coach Miller had his team executing plays and an offense. The Bearcats did many things well in this game. Cincinnati had excellent ball movement (17 assists on 32 made shots), gave up only four turnovers (one was a steal), and had more rebounds. The only issues that the Bearcats seemed to have were overconfidence and being a little too defensively aggressive. Cincinnati was blocked six times and put the Bulls on the line for 27 free throw opportunities. However, Landers Nolley and David DeJulius had great games. DeJulius only missed one shot on his 21-point day. Nolley also put up 21 points but missed five shots. The Bearcats shot 49.2% from the floor, 40.9% from 3-point range, and 80% from the free throw line.

The Bearcats lost to the Tigers at home. A day struggling from 3-point range and having issues making free throws left Cincinnati short. The Bearcats shot 40% from the field, 25% from 3-point range, and 66.7% from the free throw line. Landers Nolley showed up against his former team, putting up 18 points, and had help from DeJulius, who added 15, but the team’s leading scorer was Lahkin’s 22-point game and ten rebounds. The Bearcats had more opportunities grabbing 11 offensive rebounds, five steals, and forcing 13 turnovers. Cincinnati also had the lone block. Unfortunately, the Bearcats needed either Mika Adams-Woods or Jeremiah Davenport to show up offensively, and both struggled in the team’s loss.

6) UCF Knights

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-)

Record: 13-6 (4-3)

Last week: @ South Florida (L) 85-72

Next week: Houston (Jan. 25 @ 7 p.m.), Temple (Jan. 28 @ noon)

Best wins: Memphis, Oklahoma State, Santa Clara

Worst losses: UNC Asheville

The Knights walk away stunned as they lose to the Bulls. UCF played well but took fewer shots, specifically, fewer 3-pointers. The positives for the Knights include turning over USF 16 times, with eight coming from steals. UCF shot the ball well, but it was just not their day. UCF got outrebounded and was less efficient than USF, who created second-chance opportunities and more shots.

7) Wichita State Shockers

Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)

Record: 10-9 (3-4)

Last week: @ Memphis (L) 88-78, @ SMU (W) 71-69

Next week: Tulane (Jan. 25 @ 9 p.m.), @ East Carolina (Jan. 29 @ noon)

Best wins: Richmond, Grand Canyon, @ South Florida, @ SMU

Worst losses: Alcorn State, East Carolina, Memphis

Coach Brown came out with a plan on the defensive end. The Shockers constantly switching did a solid job confusing or slowing down the Tigers’ offense. Unfortunately, Wichita State fell short, as Memphis couldn’t miss. Against one of the more aggressive defenses, the Shockers’ did not optimize its chances of scoring offensively at the free throw line. The game plan changed when Kenny Pohto fell short. James Rojas was a start going right into the teeth of the Tigers. He scored 19 points with five rebounds, one steal, and a block. Rojas got to the free throw line the most, going 8-for-10. Jaykwon Walton followed with 15 points, and Porter barely broke double-digits with 11 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. Jaron Pierre, who can get hot, struggled offensively. The Shockers played well, but there were areas where it could improve. Coach Brown is finding things that work but is still feeling out of this team. It may be a little too late for the Shockers’ post-season hope.

Wichita State pulled off a miracle in Moody as the team beat SMU. The Shockers came back from being down nine to having a lead as big as 13 in the second half. James Rojas has stepped into a role and collected another double-double grabbing ten rebounds and putting up 12 points. The Shockers are happy Jaykwon Walton is back, putting up 18 points, Pierre added 10 points, and Porter, saddled with four fouls, missed a vital stretch but managed to put up 11 points. Kenny Pohto sat most of the second half with four fouls. Still, Shammah Scott, Melvion Flanagan, Isaiah Poor Bear Chandler, and Isaac Abidde came in for significant minutes. This team continues to struggle from deep but is taking intelligent shots. The Shockers came up with transition and second-chance points that gave the team the lead. Coach Brown needs to focus on boxing out during shots. The second chance opportunities by SMU almost led to their win. On that same note, the team needs better in-bounds plays. More than once in the closing minutes, a Shocker player got trapped in the corner, turned the ball over, and brought SMU back into the game. Wichita State would have had more steals and turnovers, except that press was an issue for them and almost cost them the game.

8) South Florida Bulls

Last week’s ranking: 9 (+1)

Record: 9-11 (2-5)

Last week: Cincinnati (L) 85-69, UCF (W) 85-72

Next week: @ Temple (Jan. 25 @ 7 p.m.), @ SMU (Jan. 29 @ 4 p.m.)

Best wins: Saint Joseph’s, Hofstra, @ ECU

Worst losses: Southeast Missouri State, Austin Peay, Stetson, Wichita State, Cincinnati

The Bulls battled on the boards, only getting outrebounded by two. USF shot the ball decent 46.2% from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range, then struggled at the free throw line with 63%. The team continues to be a one-on-one playbook, only having eight assists on 24 made shots. The Bulls only had ten turnovers, but it was too many. USF could get to the free throw line for 27 attempts but only made 17 of them. Miguel scored 15 points, and Harris and Bryant added ten points each. The Bulls did, however, have six blocks.

USF stunned UCF as the team had a big win at home. Tyler Harris led the way with a 33-point day, having seven assists, a steal, and a block. He led the way but had help from Hines and Miguel, who added 11 and ten points. Tchewa was a massive boost as he grabbed 12 rebounds. The Bulls just outplayed the Knights at home. USF shot 44.3% from the field, 35.5% from 3-point, and 90.9% from the charity stripe. The Bulls were unselfish, having 18 assists, coming up with six steals, and turning over UCF 12 times.

9) East Carolina Pirates

Last week’s ranking: 8 (-1)

Record: 11-10 (2-6)

Last week: @ Temple (L) 73-58, Tulsa (W) 76-66

Next week: Wichita State (Jan. 29 @ noon)

Best wins: Toledo, South Carolina, Mercer

Worst losses: Old Dominion, South Carolina State, South Florida, @ Temple

Coach Schwartz started well but was overly defensively aggressive. ECU put Temple on the free-throw line for 31 opportunities, making 26. ECU struggled with shooting, only making 33.9% from the field, 25.8% from 3-point range, and a rough 57.1% from the free-throw line. All issues seem to plague ECU. The Pirates won on the boards, grabbing 18 offensive rebounds and outrebounding Temple by 11. ECU moved the ball well but also turned the ball over too much. With Johnson and Felton both struggling offensively, Felton barely broke double-digits and got to 11 points, and Diboundje was the Pirates’ leading scorer with 14 points. Johnson was big in rebounding, grabbing a team-high 11. Coach Schwartz is putting in work, but this team still has some growth.

A solid offensive night for the Pirates as the team shot 50% from the floor and 31.6% from 3-point range as the team beat Tulsa. Coming from behind at the half, the Pirates were down seven points and battled back to take the lead with 10 minutes left in the game, this is when the battle really began. Three players really led the charge. Brandon Johnson’s 24-point game led ECU. He had some help from RJ Felton who added 23 points and a surprise contribution from the bench in Ben Bayela’s 11 points. ECU was the better team statistically in every category except 3-point percentage and turnovers. The Pirates outrebounded Tulsa on both ends of the floor and had 15 assists, five steals, and four blocks. ECU turned the ball over a couple more times, but it wasn’t a huge detriment to the team.

10) SMU Mustangs

Last week’s ranking: 10 (-)

Record: 7-13 (2-5)

Last week: @ Tulsa (W) 79-76, Wichita State (L) 71-69

Next week: @ Memphis (Jan. 26 @ 7 p.m.), South Florida (Jan. 29 @ 4 p.m.)

Best wins: Iona, Utah State, Lamar, @ Tulsa

Worst losses: Louisville, Louisiana, Jackson State, Wichita State

SMU pulled off a win against Tulsa even while struggling from 3-point range. Efe Odigie led the team with 22 points but fell just short of a double-double, grabbing nine rebounds. Phelps followed with 18 points, and Nutall had 16 points. Phelps and Nutall struggled to shoot the ball but still succeeded. The Mustangs struggled with turnovers (15) but came up with 11 steals and forced 19 turnovers. Tulsa outrebounded SMU by 3, all coming on the defensive end. The impressive part of the Mustang’s game was only putting Tulsa on the free throw line for nine attempts. This is where SMU won, getting to the free throw line and going for 18-for-26. SMU struggled shooting them but made enough to pull off the win.

SMU played a challenging game against Wichita State. The Mustangs won offensively, making more shots and more 3-pointers. SMU shot 38.3% from the field, 29.2% from 3-point range, and 66.7% from the free throw line, making 16-of-24 shots. The Mustangs outrebounded the Shockers on the offensive board, getting five additional rebounds, and moved the ball well, coming up with 16 assists. Coach Lanier coached his team down 13 to incorporate the press and amp up the defense. The team had five turnovers in the last eight minutes but struggled to convert on the opportunities. However, the aggressive style of play was impressive and gave hope to the Mustangs moving forward.

11) Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)

Record: 5-14 (1-7)

Last week: SMU (L) 79-76, Tulane (W) 81-79, @ ECU (L) 76-66

Next week: Memphis (Jan. 29 @ 5 p.m.)

Best wins: Loyola-Chicago, Central Michigan, Jackson State

Worst losses: Charlotte, Murray State, @ Wichita State

Tulsa could stay close with spectacular days from a few players. Bryant Selebangue lifted the team, scoring 24 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Sam Griffin struggled from 3-point range but still hit 18 points and handed out six assists. Anthony Pritchard was the last player to have an immense contribution putting up 17 points and five assists. Coach Konkol had some excellent points, but putting SMU on the free-throw lines that many times were an issue. The Golden Hurricane gave up 19 turnovers hurt the team as well. However, as a surprise, Tulsa came up with three blocks and won the rebounding battle. There are positives, but this team needs to get in gear.

Tulsa finally grabbed its first conference win over Tulane. An impressive feat as it ends Forbes’s streak of 20-point games in the AAC. Griffin put in the work putting up 23 points. Dalger came in clutch, grabbing a double-double as he put up 15 points and 13 rebounds. Betson added 13 points, and Pritchard added 10 points. Coach Konkol could have had something to hang his hat on if Tulsa had made more free throws and had a big win here. Tulsa shot the ball well from the field, 45.5% and 36.4% from 3-point range. Unfortunately, shot only 45% from the free throw line, making 9-of-20. The team got outrebounded but handed out more assists (16). The Golden Hurricane did a lot well but clearly, has some spots that it can improve.

Tulsa fell short after its big win against Tulane, the loss against ECU. The Golden Hurricane came out strong and led into the half but could not hold the lead. As the team’s lead dwindled, Tulsa struggled with shooting the ball and started putting ECU on the free-throw line. Tulsa shot 3-pointers well, shooting 39.1% from 3-point range, but missed some point-blank layups needed for the win. This was an excellent offensive game, as the team shot 45.1% from the field. The Golden Hurricane also moved the ball well and limited turnovers. However, ECU won the rebounding battle. Tulsa’s stars continue to shine. Bryant Selebangue scored 18 points and grabbed ten rebounds, Tim Dalger added 15 points, and Anthony Pritchard added ten points. Griffin struggled from 3-point range, going 2-for-10 and 2-for-12 from the field. A rough night for Griffin may have contributed to the Tulsa loss.

By thatffnerd