SEASON COMMENCES MONDAY
The 2023-24 college basketball season gets underway with 12 of the 14 American Athletic Conference teams starting their season on Monday, November 6, while Charlotte opens its season on Tuesday, November 7 and Florida Atlantic begin its season on Thursday.
SOUTH FLORIDA TABBED CONFERENCE FAVORITES
South Florida has been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the 2023-24 American Athletic Conference women’s basketball title in voting done by the league’s head coaches, the conference announced Monday, Oct. 9.
The Bulls were selected as the conference favorite for a fourth consecutive season, earning 10 first-place votes and 166 total points. East Carolina, the defending American Athletic Conference tournament champion, earned the other four first-place votes and 159 total points to be picked second. Incoming member Rice is third with 135 total points, followed by SMU (118) in fourth and Memphis (115) in fifth.
Tulane finished sixth in the voting with 110 points, followed by Tulsa (104), UTSA (75), Temple (72), Charlotte (62), Wichita State (53), North Texas (47), UAB (30) and Florida Atlantic (28).
MCNEAL NAMED PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
East Carolina graduate guard Danae McNeal was tabbed the Preseason Player of the Year. McNeal, the 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player, was a unanimous first team all-conference selection a season ago, finishing as the second-leading scorer in The American with 17.42 points per game, while leading the league in steals per game (2.94).
RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE MEMBERS
Six All-Conference players from the 2022-23 team return to The American – Danae McNeal (East Carolina) and Temira Poindexter (Tulsa) from the First Team. Sammie Puisis (South Florida) and Aleah Nelson from the Second Team. Amiya Joyner (East Carolina) and Madison Griggs (Memphis) from the Third Team.
SCHEDULE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6
UAB vs Alabama A&M (ESPN+)__________________ 3 p.m.
Wichita State at Oklahoma (ESPN+)____________ 3 p.m.
Temple vs Delaware State (ESPN+)_____________ 4 p.m.
SMU vs UC Riverside (ESPN+)__________________ 5 p.m.
Tulane vs Stetson (ESPN+)____________________ 6 p.m.
Tulsa at Lindenwood (ESPN+)__________________ 7 p.m.
East Carolina at Elon (ESPN+)__________________ 7 p.m.
South Florida vs UT Arlington (ESPN+)__________ 7 p.m.
North Texas vs UNT Dallas (ESPN+)_____________ 7:30 p.m.
UTSA at Arizona State (PAC 12+)________________ 8 p.m.
Memphis at Middle Tennessee (ESPN+)_________ 8 p.m.
Rice vs Houston Christian (ESPN+)_____________ 8 p.m.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7
Charlotte at NC State_________________________ 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8
Wichita State vs Presbyterian (ESPN+)__________ 12 p.m.
Tulane vs Nicholls____________________________ 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9
East Carolina vs USC Upstate__________________ 6 p.m.
Rice at Abilene Christian______________________ 7 p.m.
Temple vs Georgetown (ESPN+)________________ 7 p.m.
Florida Atlantic at Mercer_____________________ 7:30 p.m.
North Texas vs Grambling State_______________ 7:30 p.m.
Memphis vs Alabama State (ESPN+)____________ 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10
Tulsa vs New Orleans (ESPN+)__________________ 12 p.m.
Charlotte vs Tennessee State_________________ 2 p.m.
South Florida vs Stetson (ESPN+)______________ 4 p.m.
UTSA vs New Mexico State____________________ 8 p.m.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11
SMU vs Alabama State (ESPN+)________________ 3 p.m.
Temple vs Bucknell (ESPN+)___________________ 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12
Rice at TCU__________________________________ 2 p.m.
Tulsa vs Northwestern State (ESPN+)___________ 3 p.m.
North Texas at Texas A&M____________________ 3 p.m.
All times Eastern and subject to change
