Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball: Breaking down AAC opponents as conference play begins

Fresh off of a Hawaiian holiday season, competing in the Diamond Head Classic to conclude the non-conference slate, Aaron Fearne and the Charlotte 49ers’ men’s basketball team are gearing up for their second season in the American Athletic Conference.

Following a third-place finish in their first year in the league, Fearne and the 49ers (7-6) are looking to build on that success with returning guard Nik Graves (17.3 ppg) and Florida Atlantic transfer forward Giancarlo Rosado (13.1 ppg) leading the charge.

In a conference that turns over year after year due to the transfer portal, Charlotte’s preparing for a new crop of talent, starting with Tulane on New Year’s Eve at Halton Arena.

Here’s a look at each opponent on Charlotte’s AAC slate.

Tulane

Game dates: At Charlotte: Dec. 31; At Tulane: Feb. 26

The Green Wave (6-7) has been a tale of two teams on each side of the floor. Coached by Ron Hunter, Tulane ranks third in the conference on defense surrendering 67.2 points per game, and ninth on offense scoring just 75 points per contest — just one more point than Charlotte (73.8).

Indiana transfer forward Kaleb Banks leads Tulane in points (17.9), rebounds (8.5), and blocks (1.2) and is among a trio of double-digit scorers.

Rice

Game dates: At Rice: Jan. 4; At Charlotte: Feb. 8

In his first year as head coach, Rob Lanier promised the Owls faithful wins and has delivered through non-conference play, scoring nine victories in the first 13 games — but the schedule is about to ramp up with conference play tipping off.

Guard Trae Broadnax has been the Owls’ most productive player, scoring 14 points, bringing down six rebounds, and dishing over four assists per contest, while playing in every game this season.

Florida Atlantic

Game dates: At Charlotte: Jan. 8; At FAU: Feb. 10

In the first season following the Dusty May era, John Jakus’ Owls (7-6) have been up and down through their non-conference slate, concluding with a lopsided loss against No. 20 Michigan State in East Lansing.

Louisville transfer Kaleb Gleen is one of four Owls scoring in double figures this season, averaging 13.3 points per game. With a Final Four appearance in 2022 and another tournament appearance last season, Jakus is looking to continue May’s success in year one.

Tulsa

Game date: At Tulsa: Jan. 11

Despite four double-figure scorers, led by Keaston Willis, the Golden Hurricane have struggled through the non-conference slate, losing three straight on two separate occasions through 13 games.

Tulsa (6-7) has been a middle-of-the-pack team, ranking ninth on offense and defense out of 13 teams in the conference.

Wichita State

Game dates: At Wichita State: Jan. 14; At Charlotte: Feb. 4

The Shockers (10-3) are tied with Memphis atop the league at 10 non-conference victories but have faltered in big games, losing their only matchup against a ranked opponent (No. 18 Florida) by 37 points.

The guard duo of Georgia transfer Justin Hill and returnee Xavier Bell combine for nearly 28 points and seven rebounds per game. In the first game between the two programs, Charlotte won by double-digits at Halton.

Memphis

Game date: At Charlotte: Jan. 19

In a league filled with new rosters and talent, the Tigers (10-3) have gelled the fastest, reeling off three wins over ranked opponents, including taking down defending national champion UConn in the Maui Invitational last month.

Among four in double figures, Tulsa transfer PJ Haggerty has made an immediate impact scoring 22 points per game (7th in the nation) while shooting 40% from beyond the arc. Penny Hardaway’s Tigers are the current favorites to win the conference championship and will be a hot ticket at Halton Arena on January 19th.

South Florida

Game date: At Charlotte: Jan. 22

With multiple key contributors exiting via the transfer portal, returnee Jayden Reid has led the Bulls with 12.9 points and 4.6 assists. After winning the regular-season conference championship a season ago, the Bulls’ 43-year-old head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim passed away due to complications during a procedure at a Tampa hospital on October 24.

Ben Fletcher has taken over as interim head coach and is off to a 7-6 record.

Temple

Game dates: Ate Temple: Jan. 29; At Charlotte: Feb. 19

Temple (8-5) ended Charlotte’s season in the AAC tournament last March and went on to advance to the conference championship game — where the Owls were blown out by UAB.

After three years at New Mexico, senior guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. transferred to Temple, and has been lighting it up from beyond the arc, making 44% of his three-pointers on the way to scoring 20.1 points per game, tied for 14th in the nation.

Alabama-Birmingham

Game date: At UAB: Feb. 1

After dominating the AAC tournament last season, winning every game by 10 or more points, the Blazers (7-6) were a first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament, falling to San Diego State.

Forward Yaxel Lendeborg has been the key returning staple for Andy Kennedy’s team, nearly averaging a double-double at 16.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

East Carolina

Game dates: At Charlotte: Feb. 15; At ECU: March 2

Following the introduction of Fearneville against the Pirates last season, featuring Halton’s first sellout of the season, East Carolina (8-5) will return on a Saturday afternoon looking for redemption.

Three-year starter RJ Felton leads the way for the Pirates, scoring over 17 points per game over the past two seasons. Despite an 8-5 start, it’s been a struggle from behind the arc, shooting a conference-worst 28.6% from 3-point range.

North Texas

Game date: At North Texas: March 6

The Mean Green (9-3) don’t score many points (67.9), but they are also the only team in the conference to surrender less than 60 points per game (56.5). Having the best defense and the worst offense in the conference, with the tempo heavily impacting the offensive side, North Texas makes the most of its opportunities.

The Mean Green are third in the league in three-point percentage at 35% and lead the AAC in turnover margin at 4.25. They play a very similar style to Charlotte but are much better defensively.

Texas-San Antonio

Game date: At Charlotte: March 9

The Roadrunners (6-6) are off to a rocky start in 2024-25. Florida State transfer Primo Spears has been electric for UTSA, pouring in 22.3 points per game, which leads the conference in scoring.

Spears takes a ton of shots, currently averaging over 17 per game, but has been effective through 12 games.