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The American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament, also known as The American Championship, is a single-elimination tournament involving all league schools. The winner of the tournament is usually offered a spot in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. However, the official championship title is awarded to the team with the best regular-season record. In 2025, Memphis won the tournament, defeating UAB in the final. They also won an NCAA game in 2022, becoming the only current conference member to do so while in the league.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Tournament | American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament (The American Championship) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Winner | Memphis |
| Runner-up | UAB |
| Number of Teams | 14 |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Seeding | Based on regular-season records |
| Conference | American Athletic Conference |
| Previous Winners | Cincinnati, UConn, Houston, SMU |
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What You'll Learn
How is the AAC basketball championship winner decided?
The American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament, often referred to as The American Championship, is a single-elimination tournament involving all league schools. As of the 2023-24 season, 14 schools will compete. The seeding for the tournament is based on regular-season records.
The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. However, it is important to note that the official conference championship is not necessarily awarded to the winner of the tournament. Instead, it is given to the team or teams with the best regular-season record.
The American Championship was created following the split of the original Big East Conference. While The American is the legal successor to the old Big East, it gave up the rights to the traditional conference tournament venue, Madison Square Garden in New York City, to the new Big East. As a result, the 2014 tournament was considered the first official tournament for The American Championship.
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What is the AAC tournament's history?
The American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament (AAC), sometimes called the American Championship, is a single-elimination tournament involving all league schools. Its creation was a result of the split of the original Big East Conference. While The American is the legal successor to the old Big East, it gave up the rights to the long-standing conference tournament to the new Big East. Thus, the 2014 tournament was numbered as the first tournament for the newly formed conference.
The winner of the tournament receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. However, it is important to note that the official conference championship is awarded to the team or teams with the best regular-season record. Seeding for the tournament is also based on regular-season records.
The 2025 tournament will be held mostly at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, with the first round taking place at the Super Pit in Denton, home of North Texas. This will be the fifth season in a row that the majority of the tournament will be held at Dickies Arena, as the 2020 edition was cancelled.
Historically, the top two seeds have combined to win eight of the ten American Athletic Tournaments held so far. The exceptions were the 2016 UConn team, which was the fifth seed, and the 2024 UAB squad. Memphis is the only current conference member that has won an NCAA game while in the league. They defeated Boise State in the 2022 Tournament but lost to Gonzaga in the subsequent round.
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What is the AAC tournament's format?
The American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament, also known as The American Championship, is a single-elimination tournament. The tournament involves all league schools—14 as of the 2023–24 season—and is seeded based on regular-season records. The winner of the tournament automatically qualifies for the NCAA men's basketball tournament; however, the official conference championship title goes to the team with the best regular-season record.
The American Athletic Conference was formed following the split of the original Big East Conference. As the legal successor to the old Big East, the American Athletic Conference gave up the rights to the conference tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which instead went to the new Big East. As a result, the 2014 tournament was considered the first for the newly formed conference.
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What is the prize for winning the AAC tournament?
The American Athletic Conference (AAC) men's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament that involves all league schools. The winner of the AAC tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The official conference championship, however, is awarded to the team with the best regular season record.
In 2025, Memphis won the AAC tournament and earned their 29th NCAA tournament berth. They were the No. 5 seed in the West Regional and played against Colorado State, which had won 10 games in a row.
The AAC tournament is highly competitive, with teams seeded based on their conference records. The top four teams receive byes to the quarterfinals, and tiebreakers are used as needed to determine the proper seeding.
While the AAC tournament provides an opportunity for the winning team to advance to the NCAA tournament, the ultimate prize is the chance to compete for the national championship and etch their name in college basketball history.
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How many schools participate in the AAC tournament?
The American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament, also known as The American Championship, is a single-elimination tournament that involves all league schools. As of the 2023-24 season, there were 14 participating schools. However, the ACC recently expanded to 18 teams with the addition of SMU, Cal, and Stanford.
For the 2025 ACC Tournament, 15 out of the 18 ACC teams participated. The teams are seeded according to their records within the ACC play of the regular season, with a tiebreaker system in place for teams with identical records. The seeding ranges from 1 to 15, with the lowest-seeded teams playing on the first day and the highest-seeded teams receiving a "double bye" into the quarterfinals.
The American Athletic Conference (AAC) came into existence following the split of the original Big East Conference. While The American is the legal successor to the old Big East, it relinquished the rights to the longstanding conference tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City to the newly formed Big East. Consequently, the 2014 tournament was considered the inaugural edition of the AAC tournament.
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Frequently asked questions
Memphis won the 2025 American Athletic men's basketball tournament, defeating UAB in the final.
Just six teams have won the American Athletic tournament title. Four of them (Cincinnati, UConn, Houston, and SMU) have since moved to other conferences.
Rice and Tulane are the only league members that have never won a tournament championship in any conference.
The American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament that involves all league schools. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
