2021 AAC Basketball Tournament Betting Preview

The format this year is a little different as the AAC lost UConn as a conference member this season. UConn returned to the Big East after a seven-year hiatus in the AAC. So, the bracket will be an 11 team format as opposed to the 12 teams we have seen in recent years.

Game 1

The first game of the day is No. 8 seed South Florida Bulls taking on the No. 9 seed Temple Owls at noon EST. Neither one of these teams have great odds to win the tournament. USF is currently at +5500 to win, and Temple comes in at +12000. These two teams split their season series, with each team winning on the other's home floor.

The winner of this game will face the surprise No. 1 seed Wichita State Shockers. The Shockers have come on very strong of late, winning seven consecutive games and going 11-2 in conference play. They only played 13 conference games to Houston's 17 and therefore had a better winning percentage and got awarded the No. 1 seed.

Wichita State has the second-best odds and probably best value into the tournament at +300. Despite not being ranked as high as favorite Houston, Wichita State is equally as talented.

Game 2

The second game of the day features the No. 7 seed Tulsa Golden Hurricane against the No. 10 seed Tulane Green Wave at 3:00 PM EST. The Golden Hurricane comes in with +7000 odds to win the tournament, and the Green Wave carries +12000 odds into the game.

Due to COVID-19 cancellations, these teams only played one time this season, with Tulane winning on the road at Tulsa, 58-48.

The winner of this contest faces the odds on favorite to win the tournament, Houston Cougars. Houston comes in at -165 odds to take home the AAC crown in 2021. They are ranked No. 7 nationally and are looking at a possible No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament if all goes well this week in the AAC Tournament.

The third and final game today matches up No. 6 seed Central Florida Golden Knights against No. 11 seed East Carolina Pirates. The Golden Knights come in at +5500 to win the tournament, while the Pirates are a league-worst +12000 odds to take home the trophy.

These two teams finished the regular season against each other just last week. Central Florida won both games against East Carolina this year in rather close games. This should be an interesting match-up, to say the least.

The winner of that contest will take on the No. 3 seed Memphis Tigers, who have a +420 odds to win the tournament. Memphis just about upset Houston this past weekend but lost on a hail mary buzzer-beater. The Tigers are playing well and primed for a solid weekend in this tournament.

Game 3

The final game of the first round is not until Friday, March 12th. That game features the No. 4 seed SMU Mustangs against the No. 5 seed Cincinnati Bearcats. The Mustangs come in with +650 odds to win the tournament, and the Bearcats currently sit at +5500.

These two teams only played once as well due to COVID-19 cancellations, with Cincinnati winning on the road at SMU in early January. The winner of this game will likely face No. 1 seed Wichita State on Saturday.

As you can see, Vegas only sees four teams with a realistic shot at winning the AAC Tournament in 2021. Houston is the favorite, followed up by Wichita State, Memphis, and SMU. The rest of the field is a dart throw in hopes something crazy happens, and you can cash in.