AAC Conference Tournament Preview

The Thrill of March

It's conference championship week, one of the most stressful yet exhilarating times of the season for a Mid-Major program. Your season can end in a matter of moments, minutes, or seconds. A bad 4-minute stretch or a single poor possession could send you packing. Suddenly, your season is over, and you're on vacation. Conversely, you could create eternal memories, propelling your team to the Big Dance. Heroes are born in March, especially this week and the next, during the NCAA Tournament.

Last year’s final run in the CUSA tournament was exciting but was cut short. The hurt from that semifinal loss spurred the squad to do great things in Vegas, winning the NIT for the first time in school history. It is all different now. The NIT seems more of a stretch — and is in Indianapolis this season. This year’s team has not put together a cohesive season — because of injury and some poor second halves, etc. That is all in the past now.

North Texas's Fresh Start

For North Texas, this week represents a fresh start. Coming into the AAC tournament, they're mostly healthy, although Rondell Walker's status remains unclear. We expect an update on that soon. But aside from that, North Texas is ready. They've had Rubin Jones and CJ Noland back on the floor for four games, which has been crucial for getting them re-acclimated. It's been a struggle at times, but there have been enough flashes of offensive brilliance to give us hope they're ready to make a run. That is the hope of a tournament. Whatever you were does not matter anymore. You can be anything you want with the right kind of week.