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Basketball Conference Superiority

Tuesday, February 20th, 2007

What is the toughest conference in Division 1 basketball? Every year this question is debated by ex-players, ex-coaches, fans, and the media. This year I’ve heard many in the media say that the Pac-10, Big East, or ACC was the toughest. I have also heard a few people claim that the Big Ten, SEC, or Big 12 was the most difficult. The opinions change based on where folks are from. Bill is a Texan, and he says the Big 12 has the best basketball in the country. Sam grew up in New York. There’s not a doubt in his mind that the Big East the toughest conference. Jane is from Los Angeles. She says the Pac-10 is the best conference. Bob lives in North Carolina, the ACC is second to none in his mind.

But how exactly do we determine “the best” conference? Do we base it on the AP top 25? According to those rankings, the Big East comes out ahead, right? They have 5 teams ranked by the Associated Press, while the SEC, Pac-10, Big 12, and ACC each have 3 ranked teams. The Big Ten and Mountain West only have 2 each. Big Ten fans cry foul, “We’ve got the top 2 teams in the nation!” This is true, as the Big Ten has more top 10 teams (#1 Wisconsin, #2 Ohio State) than the Big East (#10 Pittsburgh). The Pac-10 (#4 UCLA, #9 Washington) and Big 12 (#6 Kansas, #8 Texas A&M) are each represented twice, while the SEC (#3 Florida) and ACC (#5 North Carolina) have one each.

Conference Teams
Ranked
Top 10
Big East 5 1
Pac-10 3 2
Big 12 3 2
SEC 3 1
ACC 3 1
Big Ten 2 2
Mtn West 2 0
CUSA 1 1
WAC 1 0
MVC 1 0
Horizon 1 0

The fact of the matter is the Top 25 rankings are there for TV ratings. When teams are ranked, they’re worth mentioning on Sportcenter, and the media can hype up the games involving ranked teams. Where teams are ranked has absolutely nothing to do with how they are seeded in the NCAA Tournament, nor does it indicate the depth of a particular conference.

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