


What's your forecast for the Tigers in 2022-23? Memphis hasn't lacked for talent or headlines in the Penny Hardaway era. Houston really is that good, and it should surprise no one if it is playing "home games" in April. The best player (and many others) is back. The Cougars followed up their 2021 Final Four berth with an Elite Eight appearance last season. The Final Four is set for NRG Stadium in Houston, where it just so happens the hometown Cougars will open the season as a consensus top-five team. We could very well be looking at a repeat in 2023. Many forget that game was played in Indianapolis, a very short trip from the Butler campus. Lunardi: Everyone remembers the Gordon Hayward shot that nearly propelled Butler past Duke in the 2010 national championship game. This is the time for J'Wan Roberts to step forward and maintain that robust offensive rebound percentage as a newly minted starter and across many more minutes. If there is any concern with this otherwise stellar rotation it's that Sampson did lose a good deal of size in the offseason. Both are back, and joined by some talent. Gasaway: It bears repeating that the Cougars were short-handed last season: Marcus Sasser was out for 26 games and Tramon Mark missed 31. This could be the year Sampson gets his first national championship. But this group has the talent pool to compete with the best teams in America. Sampson has done more with less in his career.

Sasser could be a first team All-American on every reputable list by this season's end. Sampson's ability to regroup after losing Sasser and Mark before New Year's Day and still win 32 games was the most remarkable coaching effort of the 2021-22 season. There aren't many weaknesses on this roster. Double-figure scorer Tramon Mark is also back healthy. Another freshman, Terrance Arceneaux, is a scoring machine who will provide instant offense off the bench. Incoming freshman Jarace Walker is a first-rounder. Jamal Shead emerged as a terrific playmaker down the stretch of last season. Marcus Sasser might be the best guard in the country. What this team has that the previous two editions lacked is explosiveness offensively. We know what to expect from Kelvin Sampson-coached teams: elite defense and elite offensive rebounding. Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, Joe Lunardi and John Gasaway made their predictions and offered their thoughts on all the league's big questions.ĪAC 2022-23 roundtable After back-to-back Elite Eight appearances and a Final Four run in 2021, what is Houston's ceiling in 2022-23? Are they Final Four-good again?īorzello: Houston's ceiling is a national championship. Perhaps in 2023 it will be Cincinnati or Temple or Tulane or another team entirely that also hears its name on Selection Sunday. Houston and Memphis were the only AAAC teams to reach the 2022 NCAA tournament. The Memphis Tigers still have DeAndre Williams and Alex Lomax and have added SMU transfer Kendric Davis.

The Houston Cougars will welcome back Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark after they missed significant time in 2021-22 due to injuries. Having already looked at Gonzaga and Division I's top mid-majors, the focus now shifts to the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Men's College Basketball, Houston Cougars, Memphis Tigers, SMU Mustangs, East Carolina Pirates, Cincinnati Bearcats, Tulane Green Wave, South Florida Bulls, UCF Knights, Wichita State Shockers, Temple Owls, Tulsa Golden HurricaneĪs the 2022-23 men's college basketball season draws closer, 's panel of experts is predicting the order of finish for the nation's top conferences.
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You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĪAC 2022-23 conference predictions: The odds of a Houston win at the Final Four in Houston
