Championship Central | Tournament Bracket (PDF)

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—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 1 p.m. ET/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 7:30 p.m. ET/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 9:30 p.m. ET/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 3 p.m. ET/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 3 p.m. ET/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 10 p.m. ET/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 8 p.m. ET/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 1 p.m. ET/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 1 p.m. ET/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 8 p.m. ET/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 10 p.m. ET/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 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
 
Single-session ticket packages are available online through TicketMaster at this link, or in person at the Dickies Arena box office.
 
All-session ticket packages include lower-level and premium seats and cover all 11 games of the championship. Tickets are available online through TicketMaster at this link, or in person at the Dickies Arena box office.
 
Fans may visit www.TheAmerican.org/MBB for the latest information on the 2020 Championship.
 
2020 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship – Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, Texas
 
First Round - Thursday, March 12
Game 1: No. 9 USF vs. No. 8 UCF | 1 p.m. ET | Noon CT | ESPNU
Game 2: No. 12 Tulane vs. No. 5 UConn | 3 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. CT| ESPNU
Game 3: No. 10 Temple vs. No. 7 SMU | 8 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. CT| ESPNU
Game 4: No. 11 ECU vs. No. 6 Memphis | 10 p.m. ET | 9 p.m. CT | ESPNU
 
Quarterfinals - Friday, March 13
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. No. 1 Cincinnati | 1 p.m. ET | Noon CT | ESPN2
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. No. 4 Wichita State | 3 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. CT | ESPN2
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. No. 2 Houston | 7:30 p.m. ET | 6:30 p.m. CT | ESPNU
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. No. 3 Tulsa | 9:30 p.m. ET | 8:30 p.m. CT | ESPNU
 
Semifinals - Saturday, March 14
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner | 3 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. CT | ESPN2
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner | 5 p.m. ET | 4 p.m. CT | ESPN2
 
Final - Sunday, March 15
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner | 3:15 p.m. ET | 2:15 p.m. CT | ESPN