The ever-changing debate over conference supremacy is alive and well in college basketball this season. The SEC, Big 12, ACC, and Big Ten all have reason to believe that their select squads run the nation’s collegiate basketball sphere. When that is the case, the true answer usually lies somewhere in the middle, which each conferenc holding several aces, and their own respective dwellers.
When you look at the AP Top 25, six teams from the Big 12 rank inside the list, four lie in the ACC, seven in the Big 10, and seven in the SEC. If you were to look at these numbers in a vacuum, then it would easily be between the Big 10 and the SEC; however, when you analyze where the teams are placed according to the Associated Press, you will quickly see that the SEC’s highest team (Vanderbilt) sits No. 11, meanwhile, the Big 12 lists four teams inside the top-10.
It is also worth noting that the AP should not be the only metric you see. The KenPom, Net, and other will give you more analytical approaches, considering the strength of schedules, efficiencies, and much more.
When analyzing and attempting to answer questions like this, you can quickly fall into the tumbleweed of trying to pick apart each individual dribble. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi attempted to rank each power conference, and the Big 12 took top spot.
“The Big 12 currently holds two projected No. 1 seeds (Arizona and Iowa State) and a No. 2 seed (BYU),” writes Lunardi.
“And that's without mentioning Houston -- a preseason 1-seed by acclamation and losers of just a single one-possession game to date -- or Kansas, which has collected a staggering 11 top seeds under Bill Self. In other words: The Big 12 is loaded.”
As conference play is set to tipoff just after the new year the conference will quicklyh works itself out as you could make a case any of Arizona, Iowa State, BYU, Houston or Kansas could be lifting the metaphorical regular-season title come the end of March.
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