ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- SMU has been picked to win the 2015-16 American Athletic Conference men's basketball title despite a one-year postseason ban.
The AAC poll of the league's head coaches was released Tuesday. SMU is the preseason favorite for the first time, receiving eight of 11 first-place votes. Connecticut was second, followed by Cincinnati, Tulsa, Memphis, Temple and Houston.
SMU senior guard Nic Moore was chosen as preseason player of the year.
In addition to the postseason ban, SMU coach Larry Brown has been suspended for nine games. An NCAA report in September blamed the longtime coach for multiple infractions tied to academic fraud, including lying to NCAA investigators.
SMU is appealing several sanctions, among them scholarship losses and recruiting restrictions.
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