The most difficult conference in college basketball? (1 Viewer)

[Shane Martin]

I would have to say that the most difficult basketball conference in the NCAA this year is most assuredly the Big 12.
As of today Tues Jan 15,
Kansas 3
Oklahoma 4
Oklahoma St 5
Iowa State: great team still
Baylor: no pushover
Missouri 17
Texas Tech Good team with Bobby Knight
Nebraska: weak i'll admit
Texas A&M: weak i'll admit
Colorado: Tough as usual
Texas: Top 10-15 team easily
K State: weak i'll admit
Even with 3 weak team I can see any of the other 9 making it to the NCAA tournament and honestly I can see 3 of the 4 even going as far as the Great 8(obviously not all of them).
Any thoughts from the others?
I could post about the OSU a$$kicking at the moment by Kansas but its not over yet

 

[Adil M]

As always it's the ACC. Please.

 

[Paul Jenkins]

yep, the ACC is it as usual... (of course, having gone to an ACC school, my vote is moot )

 

[Carlo_M]

Sorry Shane, I have to disagree. Those teams are overrated just like the Big 12 was in football--that's why they got all the peachy Bowl invitations, yet: Colorado gets tanked by Oregon, Nebraska gets tanked by Miami, Texas got (ranked 9 and getting to the Big12 championship game) barely gets past Washington (the 4th best team in the PAC-10).

And yes, while we're talking basketball, Kansas got walloped by UCLA, a team that couldn't beat crosstown rival USC a few days earlier.

It's gotta be the ACC, with perhaps the PAC-10 in second. Hell, Arizona went and beat up a bunch of top 10 teams in non-conference play and was walloped twice by Oregon! Don't tell me Oregon's gonna field a good bball team as well!

 

[Brian W. Ralston]

Here are some wins by Pac-10 teams against top ranked competition to date. Rankings at time game was played.

UCLA over #1 ranked Kansas

Arizona over #2 ranked Illinois

Arizona over #3 ranked Maryland

Arizona over #5 ranked Florida

Stanford over #12 ranked Michigan St.

UCLA over #18 Georgetown

Arizona over #18 Texas

UCLA over #19 Alabama

Stanford over #24 Texas

Using the RPI numbers only, some numbers to look at:

Against RPI top 25

PAC; 10-19 (34%)

Big12; 9-20 (31%)

ACC; 7-17 (29%)

Big10+1; 9-24 (29%)

Big East; 5-17 (22%)

SEC; 4-19 (17%)

Against RPI 1 - 50

ACC; 18 - 23 (43%)

Big12; 17 - 24 (41%)

PAC; 20 - 35 (36%)

Big10+1; 14 - 37 (34%)

Big East; 17 - 37 (31%)

SEC; 12 - 29 (29%)

Now, (for the fun of it) if you consider ONLY the top 6 teams (the ones that have a chance for the NCAA's).

Top 6 teams only against RPI top 25

PAC; 8 - 6 (57%)

Big12; 9 - 11 (45%)

ACC; 6 - 8 (42%)

Big East; 4 - 5 (44%)

Big10+1; 7 - 13 (35%)

SEC; 4-10 (28%)

Top 6 teams only against RPI 1 - 50

ACC; 16 - 11 (59%)

Big12; 16 - 12 (57%)

Big East; 11 - 22 (50%)

SEC; 10 - 12 (45%)

PAC; 17 - 14 (45%)

Big10+1; 11 - 18 (37%)

 

[Carlo_M]

Those are some serious numbers there!
I do hope they aren't the kind that were used to figure out the BCS formula...
Thank the Basketball Gods for March Madness and the Tourney!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

One thing I think we can all agree upon -- it's not the Big Ten.

 

[Jeff_A]

Great! There goes Scott again with his brutally honest fan perspective. Where is the love for our beloved Big Ten, my friend?

 

[Brad Porter]

The Big Ten is down this year, but the optimist in me takes that as a sign that only the worthy Big Ten teams will make the tournament this year and one of them should do quite well. It would probably be a good motivational tool if my Boilers didn't get to participate in a postseason tournament this year - but they'll probably sweep the Big Ten tournament just to spite me.
I have no idea which conference is best, but is there any debate (other than from North Carolina) that Indiana is the best state for basketball? Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Ball State, Butler, Evansville, Indiana State, Evansville, Valparaiso - all teams which can hold court with any other team in the country. Heck, my high school (enrollment ~1000) gynmasium could seat ~6000 people.
Brad