Improvement of facilities (practice and game) is a sound first step toward excellence on the court in intercollegiate competition. It sends a positive signal to recruits and fans alike. Louisville is a great example of how a great, fan-friendly arena can have a positive effect on its wcbb program.
The hire of a dynamic coach is the other vital early step to signal an administration's commitment to wcbb. Louisville not only hired Jeff Walz, but clearly gave him a generous recruiting budget so he can recruit nationally, which he has done.
I'll go out on a limb and project Pitt as an up-and-coming program. They have superb facilities, a talented young coach, a new AD, and a new chancellor who seems to be committed to Pitt sports excellence. Bears watching (though not in AAC).
Let's also keep an eye on Houston and SMU.
Pitt made their move some years ago, when they built the Peterson Center and hired the GTech coach, although that didn't work out. Yes, probably up and coming would describe it.
As to Houston and SMU - Houston as Ron Hughey. Didn't care for him during his year as an assistant at RU, but I will say he seemed passionate and he certainly coached a number of places. SMU needs to replace Rhonda Rhompola for long term success, I think. Both Houston (under the late Joe Curl) and SMU under RR had mid-major success at times, as did most of the teams in the American. The problem is that, without the football revenue of a P5 conference, it is going to be difficult for them to exceed a "mid-major" level of success. Schools like UCF have put a lot of dollars into their athletics, but without mega-football payouts. . .
I happen to think one of the best things that could happen for the American is for someone (it doesn't have to be UConn) to have enough football success to consistently grab a spot in the championship series (whatever they call it). This year, it was Boise, who beat my Arizona Wildcats at the Fiesta Bowl.