Memphis basketball has never won an AAC championship. Will that change this season?

Campaign season in college basketball got off to an earlier than usual start this week. 

On Monday, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, who has guided the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament three years in a row, went to bat for the American Athletic Conference in an interview with CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. Sampson views the AAC as a potential four-bid league in 2021-22, identifying Houston, Memphis, Wichita State and SMU as those who have what it takes to make a run. Sampson, whose team reached the Final Four last season, also labeled UCF as a "sleeper." 

Since its formation in 2013-14, the AAC has been a four-bid league three times in seven seasons (most recently in 2019), so it's not an overly outlandish prediction. 

But if Sampson's forecast eventually comes to fruition, that means the AAC might be in for one of the more heated championship races in league history. Here is a rundown of the top contenders for the league's 2021-22 title, in no particular order. 

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Houston

The Cougars are pretty much always in the mix. Not since Sampson's first year as coach (2014-15) have they finished worse than a tie for third place. 

The expectation is for Houston's level of regular-season excellence to continue and for good reason. OK, so the bulk of the team's production from last season (Quentin Grimes, DeJon Jarreau, Caleb Mills and Justin Gorham) has flown the coop. 

But second-leading scorer Marcus Sasser and - earmuffs, Memphis fans - budding star Tramon Mark will give opponents fits. Reggie Chaney and Fabian White Jr. are also back again, while UConn transfer Josh Carlton gives the Cougars a legitimate shot-blocker with all kinds of experience. 

The question mark, however, is whether Houston will have enough offensive firepower. Sasser can score, but he's not the same 3-point shooter Grimes was. Mark should see his scoring average increase (from 7.8 points per game), but it doesn't look like he's their answer along the perimeter (where he shot 26% as a freshman), either. 

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Memphis

There's a lot to like about the Tigers, starting with the return of their strong core: Landers Nolley II, DeAndre Williams, Lester Quinones and Alex Lomax. 

By having them back under coach Penny Hardaway and assistants Larry Brown and Cody Toppert, Memphis stands to once again be among the national leaders on the defensive side. That group is also capable of scoring plenty of points. Last season, the quartet was responsible for 49% of the Tigers' offense. 

Sampson publicly stumped for Memphis, which won the National Invitation Tournament, last season. He expects the Tigers will be as good or better this season. 

“We played against two great defenses last year,” Sampson said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast. “The two best were Baylor and Memphis. We won four games in the NCAA Tournament. None of those games were are as hard as Memphis. Memphis is good. They’re an NCAA Tournament team.”

The Tigers' outlook is bright, to be sure. But, will Miami transfer Earl Timberlake be healthy? Will Oregon transfer Chandler Lawson be given enough opportunities to be productive? Is Malcolm Dandridge ready to step up at center? How will the incoming freshmen (which make up the AAC's top-ranked signing class) adapt to the college game? Will Hardaway add another big fish (like  five-star prospect Jalen Duren)? 

It won't be easy, but the guess here is Memphis has as good a chance as anyone to win the AAC. 

SMU

Until somewhat recently, the Mustangs were caught in some pretty serious limbo. 

But on July 7, Kendric Davis announced he was returning to school and that immediately changed the entire complexion of SMU's season. Davis led the AAC in scoring (19 points per game) and assists (7.6 — also fourth in the nation) in a season that limited the Mustangs to just 15 regular-season games. 

Davis is losing almost all of the help he had from last season's team (third-leading scorer Emmanuel Bandoumel returns), but Tim Jankovich brought in some impressive transfers (Zach Nutall, the reigning Southland Conference Player of the Year, along with Duquesne leading scorer Marcus Weathers and his brother, Michael, who led Texas Southern in scoring). He also got former Baylor star Tristan Clark to unretire (after multiple attempts to come back from knee problems) and give it another go. 

Anything less than a top-three finish in the AAC would likely be perceived as a disappointment by SMU fans. 

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Wichita State

Wichita State might wind up being the biggest obstacle in Memphis' or Houston's way this season. 

The Shockers have everything they need to repeat as regular season AAC champions. Four of the team's top five scorers are back, led by AAC co-Player of the Year Tyson Etienne. Craig Porter Jr. (who played in 19 games last season) also returns. 

A lack of size may be the biggest knock on Wichita State. But the top-tier teams in the AAC aren't overflowing with bigs, either. 

UCF

The Knights have potential, especially since pretty much their entire roster is back. 

Darius Perry, Brandon Mahan and Darin Green finished in the top 20 in the AAC in scoring. No other team had more than two players ranked that high. Rebounding, however, will need to improve. Mahan (20th) was the only UCF player in the top 20 with five boards a game. 

UCF started last season strong with wins over Auburn and Florida State. It also finished strong, winning five of its last six games (the only loss to Memphis at the AAC Tournament). 

A legitimate shot at the league title may be a stretch, but it's not out of the question and the Knights will be a thorn in a lot of teams' side. 

The field

Cincinnati — despite the turmoil and turnover — is always a contender. And it could be again since Jeremiah Davenport and David DeJuilius are back. But, we'll have to wait and see how things go under new coach Wes Miller. 

Besides the Bearcats, Tulsa may well be the only other realistic threat among the rest of the field. 

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.