American Athletic Conference NCAA Tournament Betting
The Houston Cougars won the AAC Tournament last year and used that as a springboard to make it to the Final Four for the first time in 37 years. Houston had a dream run in the Midwest Region. The Cougars were the No. 2 seed and only had to play double-digit seeds in their first four games before reaching the Final Four. They are the only team that has locked up a spot in the NCAA Tournament at this point, and they will be gunning for a No. 1 seed in March Madness.
Houston is 26-4 overall and 15-2 in conference play. The Cougars will be the No. 1 seed in the AAC Tournament, and they are indisputably the best team in the conference. They knocked of Virginia, Oregon, Oklahoma State, and Butler in non-conference play, and they have won six straight games heading into their regular season finale against Memphis. This team has overcome the loss of Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark to still be the cream of the crop in the AAC, and players like Kyler Edwards, Fabian White Jr., Jamal Shead, and Josh Carlton have stepped up in a big way.
Memphis and SMU are both squarely on the bubble at this point. The Tigers are 18-9 overall and 12-5 in conference play, but this team could be scary if the impressive young talent comes together. Penny Hardaway had the No. 1 recruiting class in the country last year, and Memphis has won nine of its last ten games.
The Mustangs have an interesting NCAA Tournament profile. They have bad losses to Temple, Missouri, and Loyola Marymount on their resume, but they have nice non-conference wins over UNLV, Vanderbilt, and Dayton. SMU has gone 12-4 in conference play to this point, and the Mustangs have two wins over Memphis and a victory over Houston.
Every other team in the AAC will need to win the conference tournament in order to make it to March Madness. That includes traditional power Cincinnati, as the Bearcats are just 17-14 in their first season under Wes Miller. They have lost five straight games at this point, as their offense has completely fallen apart.
American Athletic Tournament Format
The AAC is another one of the many unbalanced conferences created as a result of realignment. There will be huge shifts to the conference membership going forward too as Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF will be joining the Big 12. That led to the AAC raiding other conferences for six new members: Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA.
The 2022 AAC Tournament will take place from March 10-13 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The bottom six teams will play in the first round on Thursday, March 10, while the top five teams will take the court on Friday, March 11. The AAC Championship Game will be broadcast on ESPN on Sunday, March 13, at 2:15 p.m. ET.
Most Wins All-Time in American Athletic Tournament
| WINS |
TEAM |
LAST |
| 2 |
Cincinnati |
2019 |
| 2 |
SMU |
2017 |
| 1 |
Houston |
2021 |
| 1 |
Connecticut |
2016 |
| 1 |
Louisville |
2014 |
Cincinnati and Houston have been the top dogs in the AAC over the last few years. The Bearcats have made it to the AAC Championship Game four straight times, while the Cougars have met them their three straight times. Cincinnati edged Houston for the AAC title 56-55 in 2018, and the Bearcats topped the Cougars 69-57 in 2019. However, the Cougars let out a lot of frustration in 2021 with a 91-54 beatdown of Cincy.
Louisville was a league member for one season and captured the inaugural tournament championship in 2014 before bolting to the Atlantic Coast Conference. There were three different winners in the first three years of the tournament with SMU and UConn cashing in after the Cardinals. The Huskies appeared in each of the first three conference title games but will never be back after leaving for the Big East.
Wichita State was added to the conference to bolster the basketball identity of the AAC. The Shockers have yet to appear in the championship game, losing in the semifinal round the past three seasons.
American Athletic Tournament Championship Games
| YEAR |
WINNER |
RUNNER-UP |
VENUE |
| 2021 |
Hoston |
Cincinnati |
Dickies Arena |
| 2019 |
Cincinnati |
Houston |
FedEx Forum |
| 2018 |
Cincinnati |
Houston |
Amway Center |
| 2017 |
SMU |
Cincinnati |
XL Center |
| 2016 |
Connecticut |
Memphis |
Amway Center |
| 2015 |
SMU |
Connecticut |
XL Center |
| 2014 |
Louisville |
Connecticut |
FedEx Forum |
NCAA Basketball Conferences
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