The RoundHouse | 1/2/2019 9:50:00 AM

The American Athletic Conference men's basketball schedule begins tonight (Wednesday), with Wichita State tipping off Thursday at Memphis. For the women, conference play begins with Wichita State's trip to Tulsa on Friday.
 
1 – How long can Houston keep winning?
 
The Cougars are 13-0, good for a No. 4 ranking in the NCAA's NET, No. 32 at kenpom.com and No. 19 in the Associated Press top 25.
 
It is hard to judge the schedule, which featured 11 home games and six opponents ranked below 200 at kenpom. It also includes six top-100 wins, two on the road. The Cougars are in great shape for an NCAA at-large bid and can think about a strong seed, depending on how wins over Oregon, LSU and Saint Louis hold up in March.
 
Houston is winning with  defense, holding opponents to 25.8 percent three-point shooting.  It plays three of its first four American Athletic Conference games at home, opening against Tulsa and Memphis before a trip to Temple. 
 
That's not an easy start for the Cougars. If they can make it to past the first two weeks of conference play, the unbeaten streak may reach February.
 
2 – Will the UConn women win another national title?
 
UConn lost in the national semifinals the past two seasons after winning four straight titles. The American's premier program looks like a good bet for the Final Four again – 11-0 entering Thursday's game at No. 7 Baylor. 
 
UConn, the unanimous No. 1 in the Associated Press poll, defeated defending champion Notre Dame 89-71 in South Bend in early December. It also plays No. 3 Louisville and No. 25 South Carolina later this season. 
 
UConn's average margin of victory is 30.3 points. Its closest game was a 72-63 win at Oklahoma.
 
Shockers fans get their first live look at the dynasty on Feb. 26 at Koch Arena.
 
3 – Where does Wichita State fit into the men's race?
 
The Shockers (7-5) won't worry about RPI or standings or anything other than improving their shooting, defense and health. With that approach, they are capable of pulling surprises, especially at Koch Arena. No American coach is going to look forward to that trip, even in a season where Wichita State is inexperienced.
 
Pomeroy predicts the Shockers to go 7-2 in American games at home.
 
4 -  Who is the surprise team in the American?
 
On Dec. 4, Tulsa stood 5-3 with no top-100 kenpom wins and a neutral-court loss to Southern Illinois. It finished 2018 with a five-game win streak bolstered by victories over Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Dayton. 
 
The Hurricane opens American play at Houston and plays Cincinnati at home on Jan. 10. 
 
5 – How many American men's team enter conference play with an NCAA at-large shot?
 
Houston is in position to cruise into the NCAAs, barring a collapse. Games against top conference opponents will determine its seed. 
 
Cincinnati (11-2) is also in a good spot with a No. 25 NET ranking and No. 27 Pomeroy ranking. We'll see how strong wins over Xavier and Mississippi look in March. A rout of UCLA faded in value. 
 
Central Florida (10-2) is No. 39 in the NET rankings and No. 38 in Pomeroy. The Knights will need more than a win over Alabama, however, so they must grab big wins in American play.
 
Could Temple (10-2) make a push? Perhaps. The Owls face UCF and Houston soon, so their resume could improve by mid-January. 
 
6 – Which games will determine who wins the American men's regular-season title?
 
Here's three: 
 
Houston at Temple (Jan. 9) – Houston's conference schedule is back-loaded with the top teams, so this is a significant early hurdle. 
 
UConn at Cincinnati (Jan. 12) – Bearcats come home after traveling to East Carolina and Tulsa.
 
UCF at Cincinnati (Feb. 21) – The Knights are 0-4 at Cincinnati with 10 points the closest margin.
 
7 – Who are the top candidates for American Player of the Year?
 
It is a guard-dominated race. With big names such as Landry Shamet, Gary Clark and Rob Gray departed, the field is largely even at the start.
 
Houston guard Corey Davis Jr. is an excellent defender and averages 15.4 points and 3.4 assists. Temple guard Shizz Alston Jr. leads the American with a 19.3 scoring average and is second at 5.4 assists. UCF's B.J. Taylor, the preseason Player of the Year, averages 17.5 points and is shooting 39.3 percent from three-point range. Cincinnati's Jarron Cumberland leads the American by shooting 47.1 percent from three-point range and averages 16.2 points.
 
UConn's Jalen Adams, Tulsa's DaQuan Jeffries and SMU's Jahmal McMurray are also playing well. 
 
Senior forward Markis McDuffie, an All-Missouri Valley Conference pick in 2017, will make a case for all-conference honors in the front-court. He is averaging 18.8 points and 5.1 rebounds. His efforts on defense will get attention in a conference that values defense.
 
8 – Is there a team that can challenge the UConn women?
 
No, especially after South Florida lost guard Kitija Laksa, an honorable mention All-American, to a season-ending knee injury in early November. 
 
The Bulls scheduled aggressively to take advantage of an experienced team. They were 3-0 with a rout of Ohio State with Laksa. Since then, they are 6-5 with wins over Oklahoma and UCLA.
 
UCF is No. 18 in the RPI with five top-100 wins. Tulane is No. 65 in the RPI, part of a top-heavy American race. No other school is in the top 100 and four are below 200.
 
UConn is unbeaten in American play and that doesn't appear likely to change.
 
9 – Who can be a difference-maker for the Wichita State men?
 
Senior guard Samajae Haynes-Jones played two of his best games in two of Wichita State's best wins – over Baylor and Providence. His struggles in losses to Louisiana Tech and Oklahoma exemplified Wichita State's issues in those games.
 
McDuffie is a constant. When Haynes-Jones gives the Shockers a steady creative force, it helps immensely, in large part by lifting pressure off the rest of the team. Good sign: After a stretch of 10 turnovers in three games, he has three in turnovers (and six assists) in the past three.
 
The American is a strong defensive conference with seven schools in the top 100 of Ken Pomeroy's defensive efficiency ranking. Most of those teams control the tempo and will test Haynes-Jones ability to score against half-court defense.
 
10 – Who can be a difference-maker for the Wichita State women?
 
If Jaida Hampton is smoothing out the ups and downs of her freshman season, it is good news for Wichita State's offense. She is coming off a season-high 16-point performance in Sunday's win over Savannah State and has scored in double figures in four of the past five games.
 
Hampton is the team's top three-point shooter – 37 percent (10 of 27) after a 1-for-9 start – and an excellent foul shooter. 
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.