The American Athletic Conference was a three-headed monster during the regular season, with No. 1 Cincinnati taking the crown at the 2018 AAC Tournament held at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.
AAC Tournament 2018: Bracket, schedule, scores, teams, and more
Cincinnati beat Houston in a close one for the conference title in Orlando.
Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images
Cincinnati (27-4, 16-2) entered the fifth edition of the AAC tourney as the top seed, in search of an eighth consecutive trip to the big dance. A one-point road win at Wichita State on Saturday clinched the regular season title for the Bearcats.
Wichita State proved to be a powerhouse in its first year in the conference, finishing 14-4 in the AAC and looking for its seventh straight NCAA Tournament berth after six consecutive years representing the Missouri Valley Conference.
Houston (24-6, 14-4) finished undefeated at home this season, including wins over the Bearcats and Shockers, good enough to finish third in the conference.
Defending AAC tournament champion Southern Methodist has its work cut out for it this year, entering the conference tourney as the No. 9 seed.
The stakes
Cincinnati, Wichita State and Houston are the top three teams in the conference, and all three have strong tournament resumes whether they win the conference tournament or not, all three ranked in the top 20 in RPI heading into this weekend’s events.
The format
All 12 teams in the conference will take place in the single-elimination tournament, played over four days from March 8-11 at the Amway Center, the second time in three years the games have been held in Orlando.
Bracket & schedule
Bracket: AAC
First round: Thursday, March 8
Game 1: No. 9 SMU 80, No. 8 UConn 73
Game 2: No. 5 Memphis 79, No. 12 USF 77
Game 3: No. 7 Temple 82, No. 10 Tulane 77
Game 4: No. 6 UCF 66, No. 11 ECU 52
Quarterfinals: Friday, March 9
Game 5: No. 1 Cincinnati 61, No. 9 SMU 51
Game 6: No. 5 Memphis 67, No. 4 Tulsa 64
Game 7: No. 2 Wichita State 89, No. 7 Temple 81
Game 8: No. 3 Houston 84, No. 6 UCF 56
Semifinals: Saturday, March 10
Game 9: No. 1 Cincinnati 70, No. 5 Memphis 60
Game 10: No. 3 Houston 77, No. 2 Wichita State 74
Championship game: Sunday, March 11
Game 11: No. 1 Cincinnati 56, No. 3 Houston 55
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