UMass To AAC?

Mar 2, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Xavier Musketeers guard Semaj Christon (0) drives the base line in the first half against the Massachusetts Minutemen at the Cintas Center. Umass defeated Xavier 77-72. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

Could the American Athletic Conference be set to add another new member to its ever growing young conference?

UMass announced last week it would not return to the Mid American Conference (MAC) following the 2015 season. They would instead look to take their nationally recognized basketball program to another conference, preferably a nationally prominent one.

That is where the AAC comes into the discussion. UMass has their hearts set on landing a spot in the AAC. A conference in its first season but has gained national attention due to their phenomenal basketball season in 2013-2014. The AAC sent four teams to the NCAA Tournament and SMU is currently in the NIT Championship game, seems like the perfect spot for UMass.

In 2014 the AAC will lost two long standing members dating back to the old Big East. Louisville and Rutgers will each depart for a power conference, Louisville to the ACC and Rutgers to the Big 10. While they lose two teams the AAC will add three teams this offseason. Tulane, Tulsa and East Carolina will all join the AAC over the summer. In 2015 the conference will add Navy but they will be a football only member.

AAC commissioner Mike Aresco has said in the past that the conference is not interested in adding any new members. “We have a lot of respect for UMass. It’s a flagship university, a high quality northeast presence. UMass has a lot of things going for it. We don’t have any plans to expand.” Aresco said recently.

The only thing UMass has going for it is the presence of UConn and Temple in the AAC. Both schools are in the “northeast” creating a regional rivalry within the conference, something the AAC lacks at the moment.

A UMass addition would be great for basketball, but from a football standpoint the AAC doesn’t need any more weak football teams. Currently there are two decent teams left in Cincinnati and UCF.

The AAC wants to increase their national presence the addition of UMass would open up the Boston market for the conference, look for the AAC to explore this addition in the near future.