In its debut season, the American Athletic Conference is hosting its first post-season tournament. With five teams expected to make the NCAA Tournament, its sixth-seeded Houston that's making an upset run. The Cougars have a tough road in front of them, with three of those Tournament-bound teams still alive in the AAC bracket.
2014 AAC Tournament schedule and bracket: Louisville, Cincinnati look to take care of business
The American Athletic Conference heads to the semifinals, with the co-champions of the conference regular season still alive.
Andy Lyons
Road to the Title
The first test for Houston is No. 2 Louisville, which finished the regular season as co-champions of the conference and earned a double-bye in the bracket. The Cardinals won 10 of their last 11 games to finish in a tie atop the American with Cincinnati. To get to the semis, Houston had to upset Larry Brown's SMU team after both teams nabbed a first-round bye. Jherrod Stiggers led the Cougars with 19 points, his second straight stellar performance.
The other co-champion of the regular season, top-seed Cincinnati, will take on No. 4 Connecticut after sneaking by Central Florida. Star guard Sean Kilpatrick had 21, pushing the Bearcats past the Knights. In their quarterfinal matchup, UConn railed No. 5 Memphis, riding six threes by sharpshooter Niels Giffey. The senior finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in an impressive effort. Cincinnati and Connecticut split home-and-home games in the regular season.
Friday’s schedule of games:
No. 2 Louisville vs. No. 6 Houston, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 1 Cincinnati vs. No. 4 Connecticut, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Here’s a link to the full American Tournament bracket.
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