by Dick Weiss, for The American
PHILADELPHIA -- The American Athletic Conference is entering a brave new world in men’s basketball, busting into the spotlight after a year in which only two teams were selected to the NCAA Tournament.
This year, the newest member of the conference, Wichita State, is ranked third in the Associate Press poll and has a legitimate shot to make the Final Four. Cincinnati has reached seven straight NCAA Tournaments and has its sights on an eighth, while SMU, Houston, Temple, UCF and Tulsa all have collected quality non-conference wins for their respective resumes.