When taking a look at the American Conference standings, it isn’t a surprise to see SMU sitting on top of the table, though some might not have seen an undefeated record being part of the equation.
In fact, there might not be many surprises that come from checking out the league now that we’re nearly halfway through conference play. But there is, undoubtedly, intrigue. Five teams are within one game of each other: UCF, Memphis, UConn, Temple, and Tulsa. Right behind them are Cincinnati and Houston, two of the darkhorse candidates in the preseason.
Here are the top storylines we’re following as the season nears its finale:
Can The Mustangs Run The Table?
Faced with a postseason ban and the now-official transfer of Keith Frazier, SMU has rallied to sit at 18-0, 7-0 on the season, though they still face UConn and Memphis twice, Cincinnati on the road, and a non-conference tilt against Gonzaga. It’s not that the chances are slim, but at some point, everyone falters…right Kentucky? I’ll duck and hide now.
Is UCF For Real?
Okay…their schedule hasn’t exactly been taxing so far, with four of their…four, wins coming against East Carolina and USF, the bottom dwellers of the conference. Plus, their one road trip was a drubbing at the hands of SMU. Still, give a team a few wins and suddenly they feel like they can beat anyone.
Telling Stretch For Memphis
If the Tigers are finally ready to make a statement in the American Conference standings, it’s going to happen over the next four games, when they take road trips to Cincinnati, UCF, and SMU. They get a home date with ECU to break that up, but if they can come out of that 3-1, meaning they’d be 6-2 in conference, they’d have a good chance to be sitting right underneath SMU.
