UC Picked To Win AAC

For the second consecutive year, Cincinnati has been tabbed as the favorite to win the 2017-18 American Athletic Conference men’s basketball regular-season title, in voting of the conference’s head coaches. The Bearcats got the nod by a single point over conference-newcomer Wichita State.

SMU junior guard Shake Milton was chosen as the American Athletic Conference Preseason Players of the Year. In his sophomore year, Milton averaged 13.0 points and 4.5 assists per game, knocking down 42.3-percent of his three-point attempts.

After redshirting following a season-ending injury in 2016-17, UConn’s Alterique Gilbert repeated as The American’s Preseason Rookie of the Year. In three games season, Gilbert averaged 10.3 ppg.

The Bearcats edged Wichita State as the preseason favorite with 116 points to the Shockers’ 115 in the balloting of the coaches, who could not vote for their own teams. Cincinnati received seven first-place votes, while Wichita State claimed the other five.

Cincinnati reached the NCAA Tournament for the seventh consecutive season in 2016-17, making the Bearcats one of just eight schools to have done so. The Bearcats return four of their top five scorers from last season’s 30-win squad, led by preseason second team picks Gary Clark, Jacob Evans and Kyle Washington. American co-sixth man of the year Jarron Cumberland also returns for Cincinnati.

The 2017-18 season tips on Friday, Nov. 10, while American Athletic Conference play opens on Wednesday, Dec. 27. The 2018 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship will take place March 8-11 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla..