Ron Hunter: "I think we deserve more than two teams."

POSTED: March 13, 2021 -- 9:53 a.m. CT

FORT WORTH, TX (Dickies Arena) -- Friday night, after the Tulane Green Wave lost to the Houston Cougars, 77-52, in a quarterfinal match-up of the 2021 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship, I asked Ron Hunter, Tulane's Head Coach, what he thinks is the strength of the AAC.

"I think it's coaching," Coach Hunter replied. "I think there's some great coaches in this league. There are some coaches that have done a lot of great things. I think that's the first part. There are some great coaches."

Coach Hunter continued, "Again, it's hard because whatever I think right now doesn't matter because I think that the pandemic -- we didn't get to really show what we can do in this league.

"If you're telling me that we can only have two teams in our league (in the NCAA Tournament) and that the Missouri Valley can have two (in the NCAA Tournament), I think that's crazy because I tell you what let the Missouri Valley play the bottom of our league and the middle of our league and see how good that league is."

Currently, according to the bracketologists, two AAC teams should make the NCAA Tournament: the Houston Cougars are a lock (a 2 or 3 seed) while the Wichita State Shockers, AAC regular season champs, are projected as an 11-seed. A third AAC team, the Memphis Tigers are on the bubble. Depending on the bracketologist, the Tigers are in one of 2 groups (on the outside of the Tourney and looking in): First Four Out or Next Four Out.

Coach Hunter believes the AAC should get more than two teams in the NCAA Tourney.

"I think we deserve more than two teams. I think that we should have three or 4, easily, every year. There are some talented teams in this league. There are pros in this league. There are great coaches in this league.

"The problem is the pandemic because of what happened. But, if we had played our regular season, there is no question that in my mind that four teams that should be playing in the NCAA Tournament are from this conference."

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