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2020 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship Bracket Set

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POSTED: March 9, 2020 -- 8:11 a.m. CT

The bracket for 2020 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship has been announced.

The stage is set for the 2020 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship, to be held March 12-15 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Cincinnati, Houston and Tulsa all tied at 13-5 in league play to share the regular-season championship.

Cincinnati (20-10, 13-5) earned the No. 1 seed after picking up a last-second win over Temple on Saturday. The two-time defending tournament champion Bearcats are the No. 1 seed for the third time in The American (2014, 2018). This is the third time Cincinnati has captured the regular season crown. Cincinnati opens its defense of the tournament title against the winner of UCF/USF on Friday, March 13, at Noon CT, on ESPN2.

Houston (23-8, 13-5) secured the No. 2 seed after defeating Memphis, 64-57, on Sunday and has won back-to-back regular season titles for the first time since joining The American. The Cougars have been a top-3 seed each of the last five seasons. Houston competes against the winner of Temple/SMU on Friday (March 13), at 6:30 p.m. CT, on ESPNU.

Tulsa (21-10, 13-5) captured a share of its first regular season championship as part of The American after being picked to finish 10th in the coaches' preseason poll. It is the first time Tulsa has been a top-3 seed in the conference tournament since 2016. The Golden Hurricane will face the winner of Memphis/ECU on Friday (March 13), at 8:30 p.m. CT, on ESPNU.

Wichita State (23-8, 11-7) earned a first-round bye and the No. 4 seed by defeating Tulsa, 79-59, on Sunday. This is the second time in three seasons in The American that the Shockers have earned a first-round bye. Wichita State will take on the winner of UConn/Tulane on Friday, March 13, at 2 p.m. CT, on ESPN2.

UConn (19-12, 10-8) moved all the way up to the No. 5 seed with a win at Tulane on Sunday. It is the Huskies' highest seed in The American tournament since 2016, when they won the tournament as a No. 5 seed. UConn will once again play Tulane on Thursday, March 12, at 2 p.m. CT, on ESPNU.

Memphis (21-10, 10-8) will be the No. 6 seed for the tournament. The Tigers have been a No. 5 or No. 6 seed every year they have been in The American. Memphis will take on ECU on Thursday, March 12, at 9 p.m. CT, on ESPNU.

SMU (19-11, 9-9) is the No. 7 seed and is one of the younger teams in the country, as the Mustangs do not have a senior on their roster. SMU will face Temple on Thursday, March 12, at 7 p.m. CT, on ESPNU.

UCF (16-14, 7-11) earned the No. 8 seed with a big 94-62 win over ECU Sunday. Dickies Arena will get to host a War-On-I4 matchup as the Knights will play USF on Thursday, March 12, at Noon CT, on ESPNU.

USF (14-17, 7-11) claimed the No. 9 seed after redshirt-senior Laquincy Rideau hit a last-second 3-pointer to defeat SMU, 61-60, on Saturday night. The Bulls will face in-state rival UCF on Thursday, March 12, at Noon CT, on ESPNU.

Temple (14-17, 6-12) will be the No. 10 seed and features senior Quinton Rose, who has set American records for all-time points, field goals and steals. The Owls will take on SMU on Thursday, March 12, at 7 p.m. CT, on ESPNU.

ECU (11-20, 5-13) will compete as the No. 11 seed and is paced by The American's leading scorer in sophomore Jayden Gardner (19.7 points per game). The Pirates will face Memphis Thursday, March 12, at 9 p.m. CT, on ESPNU.

Tulane (12-18, 4-14) was much improved under first-year head coach Ron Hunter, winning four games in conference play after only capturing four wins overall in 2018-19. The Green Wave will take on UConn on Thursday, March 12, at 2 p.m. CT, on ESPNU.


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2020 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship – Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX

First Round - Thursday, March 12 (all times Central)

Game
Match-up
Time
Network
Game 1 No. 9 USF vs. No. 8 UCF 12 p.m. ESPNU
Game 2 No. 12 Tulane vs. No. 5 UConn 2 p.m. ESPNU
Game 3 No. 10 Temple vs. No. 7 SMU 7 p.m. ESPNU
Game 4 No. 11 ECU vs. No. 6 Memphis 9 p.m. ESPNU

Quarterfinals - Friday, March 13 (all times Central)

Game
Match-up
Time
Network
Game 5 Game 1 winner vs. No. 1 Cincinnati 12 p.m. ESPN2
Game 6 Game 2 winner vs. No. 4 Wichita State 2 p.m. ESPN2
Game 7 Game 3 winner vs. No. 2 Houston 6:30 p.m. ESPNU
Game 8 Game 4 winner vs. No. 3 Tulsa 8:30 p.m. ESPNU

Semifinals - Saturday, March 14 (all times Central)

Game
Match-up
Time
Network
Game 9 Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner 2 p.m. ESPN2
Game 10 Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner 4 p.m. ESPN2

Final - Sunday, March 15 (all times Central)

Game
Match-up
Time
Network
Game 11 Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner 2:15 p.m. ESPN

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