AAC Tournament Predictions, Betting Odds & Favorites to Win 2025

• After climbing as high as No. 10 in the A.P. Poll, the Memphis Tigers collapsed, leaving head coach Penny Hardaway on the hot seat entering the 2024-25 regular season.

• Despite being the obvious AAC Conference Tournament frontrunner due to their Final Four run in 2023 and the Houston Cougars’ decision to join the Big 12, the preseason 10th-ranked Florida Atlantic Owls were held without a tournament or regular-season championship last season.

• The UAB Blazers made it through the 2024 AAC Tournament gauntlet, knocking out Wichita State, South Florida (the 2024 AAC regular-season champions), and Temple to secure their automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

After Houston departed the AAC for the Big 12 at the end of the 2022-23 regular season, the rest of the American Athletic Conference’s programs were licking their proverbial chops, eyeing the top spot. Houston had been largely dominating the AAC for a handful of seasons behind head coach Kelvin Sampson and the program’s elite defensive and rebounding prowess.

The 2023-24 season proved that more parity was achieved; the South Florida Bulls beat out the preseason 10th-ranked Florida Atlantic Owls for the regular season crown. Then, the UAB Blazers took out USF in the AAC Tournament to take home a trophy of their own.

What can we expect from the 2024-25 season? Which team will get hot at the right time in March and punch their automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with an AAC Tournament championship? Let’s break down our favorite teams below!

AAC Tournament Betting Odds

The 2025 AAC Tournament odds will likely not be made available until mid-to-late February, as the conference’s regular season will still be happening. Once the odds are dropped on the significant sportsbooks, we will plug them here.

Favorites to Win the 2025 AAC Tournament

Memphis Tigers

As mentioned above, head coach Penny Hardaway is on the hot seat after a mid-season collapse that saw Memphis dropping from the 10th-ranked team in the nation, per the A.P. Poll, out of the postseason picture entirely.

The Tigers’ program experienced several less-than-ideal events this past season, with Mikey Williams, who had been suspended pending a court case, and another freshman, J.J. Taylor, entering the transfer portal mid-season.

Then, there was Jordan Brown’s situation. He disappeared from the program for roughly one month before returning in January. Malcolm Dandridge was suspended indefinitely at the beginning of 2024 due to an academic misconduct investigation. 

And, to top it all off, Caleb Mills suffered a season-ending injury that did not help the Tigers’ cause. That was right around the time things started going downhill for them.

By the end of the season, Memphis had failed to make the NCAA Tournament and was preparing to lose David Jones (21.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG), Caleb Mills, Jaykwon Walton, Jahvon Quinerly, Jaylon Young, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Malcolm Dandridge, Jordan Brown, and Ashton Hardaway.

Seven of the Tigers’ top eight scorers will either graduate, declare for the 2024 NBA Draft, or transfer.

So, similar to last season, the Tigers were forced to rely almost entirely on the transfer portal and recruiting trail to bring in talent for the upcoming 2024-25 regular season. Luckily, Hardaway and the rest of the Tigers program answered the call.

Alongside the sole key returner, Nick Jourdain, Penny brought in Portugal guard Daniel Vieira-Tuck, Tulsa guard PJ Haggerty, Illinois center Dain Dainja, Wichita State guard Colby Rogers, Texas guard Tyrese Hunter, SMU forward Tyreek Smith, George Mason guard Baraka Okojie, and Ole Miss center Moussa Cisse.

Penny might not have a preseason top-25-ranked team heading into the 2024-25 campaign, but this squad can easily achieve that level solely based on talent. Hunter, Dainja, Haggerty, Rogers, and Jourdain have all been significant contributors at a high level, so Memphis will have no issues being a top dog in the AAC once again.

Whether or not the Tigers can win the AAC Tournament depends on how all that talent meshes together. Will they be play as a sole, unified unit, or as a bunch of separate talents? Only time will tell, but if the answer is the former, the Tigers will be one of the favorites to hold the conference tournament trophy at the end of the year.

Bet on Memphis Tigers at FanDuel

Florida Atlantic Owls

A colossal roster turnover could create early-season complications for the Florida Atlantic Owls; however, they are not to be written off so soon, especially with new head coach John Jakus, who has spent time learning under Baylor head coach Scott Drew and Gonzaga head coach Mark Few. In short, don’t expect a massive drop-off from this program entering the 2024-25 season.

Still, the losses of Giancarlo Rosado (University of North Carolina at Charlotte), Nick Boyd (San Diego State), Alijah Martin (Florida), Johnell Davis (Arkansas), Vlad Goldin (Michigan), Brenen Lorient (North Texas), Leo Beath, Isaiah Gaines, and Alejandro Ralat are sure to hurt.

Not to mention, two of Dusty May’s recruits decided to dart from FAU; Lorenzo Cason followed May to Ann Arbor, and Ty Robinson opted to take his talents to Central Arkansas. If it weren’t for Jakus’s impressive recruiting talent and the prevalence of the transfer portal in college basketball today, FAU would have been sunk.

However, Jakus convinced four players to stay: Brandon Weatherspoon, Tre Carroll, Jakel Powell, and Devin Vanterpool. The latter two players will enter their redshirt freshman seasons, while Weatherspoon and Carroll were consistent presences for the Owls last season.

Alongside those four returning players, Jakus has brought in Baba Miller (Florida State), Niccolo Moretti (Illinois), Leland Walker (Eastern Kentucky), Kaleb Glenn (Louisville), and Kyky Tandy (Jacksonville State, Xavier). That is a solid haul for a program that just brought in a new coach and needs to transition from the old FAU to the new one quickly.

Walker will take the lead guard position, bringing his all-around game to the Owls’ backcourt; he is fresh off a season at Eastern Kentucky that saw him average 15.4 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game on 43.3% shooting from the field.

Joining Walker in the backcourt will be Kyky Tandy, a super senior transfer who averaged just shy of 18 points per game last year on an impressive 42/39/88 shooting split, and Niccolo Moretti, an Italian guard who played last season for Illinois but struggled to see the floor with Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Domask, Justin Harmon, and Luke Goode ahead of him in the rotation.

The other massive addition for the Owls is Baba Miller, a 6-foot-11 forward transfer from Florida State who opted to return to college and take his name out of the 2024 NBA Draft. Miller likely would have been a late-first-rounder or second-round pick this season but wants to improve his draft stock as a primary offensive option at FAU.

Add in Weatherspoon (7.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG) to the mix, and the Owls will again be toward the top of the AAC heading into the 2024-25 regular season.

Bet on Atlantic Owls at FanDuel

UAB Blazers

A strong 23-12 (12-6 in AAC) record in the 2023-24 regular season propelled the Blazers to the fourth seed in the 2024 AAC Tournament, where they could run the table and punch their ticket to the “Big Dance.” 

Sadly, the Blazers’ season ended in the first round after they narrowly lost (four points) to fifth-seeded San Diego State, a team that returned several players from the 2022-23 team that made it to the National Championship team!

The party is still ongoing for the Blazers, though. They will be returning a substantial amount of production from last season’s AAC championship team, including talented two-way forward Yaxel Lendeborg (13.8 PPG, 10.6 RPG, and 2.1 BPG), Efrem “Butta Johnson (11.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.7 PPG), Alejandro Vasquez (11.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG), Christian Coleman (7.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG), Tony Toney (4.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG), and Will Shaver.

Losing Eric Gaines’ exceptional play on both ends of the floor as a scorer, facilitator, rebounder, and on-ball defender hurts; however, the Blazers anticipated this and brought in enough talent to bridge the gap.

Saint Louis’s Bradley Ezewiro (12.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG), Iona’s Greg Gordon (16.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG), Georgia Southern’s Tyren Moore (17.0 PPG, 3.1 APG, 2.8 RPG on a 47/41/87 shooting split), Jaborri McGhee (third-ranked JUCO transfer), and Makhi Myles (former 3-star recruit) will more than fill in for Gaines’ departure from the program.

Lofty expectations don’t even begin to describe what this team will be shouldering entering this upcoming season; they have the playmaking, shooting, scoring, defense, and depth to destroy the rest of the AAC and most of the nation, too.

Bet on UAB Blazers at FanDuel

My Pick: UAB Blazers

Not only are the UAB Blazers returning primary production, including the AAC’s Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-AAC selection Yaxel Lendeborg, but they hit the transfer portal and recruiting trail hard, ensuring they enter the 2024-25 regular season with a team that can win the AAC Tournament for the second consecutive year.

Lendeborg is joined by Efrem “Butta” Johnson and Alejandro Vasquez, two electric guards who each averaged more than 11 points per game last season. The Blazers also have Christian Coleman, Will Shaver, and Tony Toney.

Additionally, head coach Andy Kennedy sought out even more talent, grabbing Greg Gordon, Tyren Moore, Bradley Ezewiro, Jaborri McGhee, and Makhi Myles. This Blazers team will be outrageously deep and talented. Look for them to not only win the AAC regular season and AAC Tournament but also make a splash in the NCAA Tournament. Don’t be surprised when they spend some of the regular season ranked in the top 25 of the A.P. Poll.

Bet on UAB Blazers at FanDuel

Who Won the AAC Tournament in 2024?

The UAB Blazers won the AAC Tournament in 2024, logging wins over the Wichita State Shockers, the South Florida Bulls, and the Temple Owls to claim their first conference tournament championship. 

Despite USF being the clear-cut favorite to run the conference tournament table after logging an impressive 16-2 conference record, anything can (and will) happen in March. UAB didn’t just beat those three teams, either; the Blazers destroyed their competition, winning by double-digits in all three AAC Tournament games. 

Unfortunately, the Blazers fell short in their quest for an NCAA Tournament Cinderella story, losing by four points to the No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs in the Round of 64; however, the program still had a successful season.

Still, this Blazers team returns most of their players from last season and arguably had one of the better transfer portal performances for a mid-major program in the country! 

AAC Tournament History

The AAC Tournament was first played in 2014 due to the Big East Conference’s split. The Louisville Cardinals were the first winners of the AAC Tournament; however, they had to vacate the tournament championship the following season due to the program’s sex scandal.

Since then, three programs have logged two AAC Tournament championships, including the Houston Cougars (now in the Big 12), the SMU Mustangs, and the Cincinnati Bearcats (now in the Big 12). 

Additionally, three programs (the UAB Blazers, Memphis Tigers, and UConn Huskies) have one AAC Tournament championship. UConn is no longer in the AAC, having moved back to the Big East, leaving just three current AAC teams with at least one tournament championship.

How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for Betting on the AAC Tournament 

Imagine you are at Starbucks for the first time, desperately wanting to dive into the world of coffee after you finally worked up the courage to try your friend’s highly caffeinated beverage. 

You loved it, and now you want a beverage of your own, but the vast menu is antagonizing and scary. Is going to a Starbucks for the first time a perfect analogy to choosing a sportsbook for the first time? Maybe not.

Still, those two feelings are comparable. But do not worry; we will guide you through this process!

First, it is crucial to be familiar with all of the different sportsbook choices available. Those options include FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN Bet, BetRivers, bet365, Fanatics, Betway, and numerous others.

However, for simplicity and to do some of the legwork ahead of time for the reader, we have compiled three of our favorite sportsbooks below: BetMGM, Caesars, and FanDuel.

All three sportsbooks are great options but vary in their offerings and style. For instance, BetMGM has the largest welcome bonus promotion, but FanDuel arguably has the simplest. Payment options between these three sportsbooks also vary, along with the withdrawal time, user interface, navigability, and more.

The table below should help you get started in choosing a sportsbook. Check it out.

How to Read AAC Tournament Odds

Reading AAC Tournament odds is like reading other American betting odds: seemingly complicated at first but simple once you understand it.

First, let’s break down what the minus (-) and plus (+) signs mean.

A minus sign in front of a team’s/player’s betting odds indicates that they are a favorite and have a greater than 50% implied probability of winning. For betting purposes, you must bet whatever that number is to win $100. 

For example, if the Memphis Tigers are -125 favorites to win the AAC Tournament after a solid regular season, you would have to bet $125 to win $100 since they are more likely to win than other teams.

Conversely, if the UAB Blazers are +350 to win the AAC Tournament after finishing in the top third of the conference, you would have to bet $100 to win $350 since they are an underdog and other teams are more likely to win.

From there, it should be pretty straightforward. The bigger the number, the more of a favorite or underdog a team or player is, depending on whether there is a minus or plus sign in front of it.