The Big 12 Conference's success is mostly judged by the success of one sport: football. After this season, the Big 12 has gone through the ringer with only two teams having a chance at grabbing a playoff spot. Although this may discourage Big 12 fans, how does the conference look in comparison to its' main competitors in basketball? Here is an overview:
Ranked Teams
ACC: North Carolina (4), Duke (6), Virginia (7), Louisville (10), Syracuse (18), Florida State (25), other receiving votes: Miami, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame
Big Ten: Indiana (3), Wisconsin (16), Purdue (17), Michigan State (24), Michigan (25), other receiving votes: Maryland, Ohio State
Big 12: Kansas (5th), West Virginia (19), Baylor (20), Iowa State (21) and Texas (22)
Big East: Villanova (2), Xavier (9), Creighton (12), other receiving votes: Seton Hall, Butler
Pac 12: Arizona (8), Oregon (13), UCLA (14), other receiving votes: California, Colorado
SEC: Kentucky (1), Other receiving votes: Florida
Conference Record/ Notable Wins and Losses
ACC: 49-8, 8/15 undefeated teams, Lost to no. 7 Kansas, Lost to no. 3 Villanova, Lost to no. 22 Creighton, Lost to no. 11 Xavier, Beat no. 21 URI, 1-4 versus ranked opponents
Big Ten: 45-10, 7/14 undefeated teams, Beat no. 3 Kansas, Lost to no. 22 Creighton, Lost to no. 3 Villanova, Lost to no. 10 Arizona, Lost to no. 2 Kentucky, Lost to no. 1 Duke, Lost to no. 24 Cincinatti, Beat no. 22 Texas, 2-6 versus ranked opponents
Big 12: 32-3, 7/10 undefeated teams, Beat no. 4 Oregon, Lost to no. 11 Indiana, Beat no. 1 Duke, 2-1 versus ranked opponents
Big East: 33-7, 5/10 undefeated teams, Beat no. 15 Purdue, Beat no. 9 Wisconsin, Beat no. 13 Oregon, 3-0 versus ranked opponents
Pac 12: 35-11, 5/12 undefeated teams, Beat no. 12 Michigan State, Lost to no. 22 Creighton, 1-1 versus ranked opponents
SEC: 40-12, 6/14 undefeated teams, Beat no. 13 Michigan State, Lost to no. 11 Xavier, Lost to no. 16 Wisconsin, Lost to no. 12 Creighton, 1-3 versus ranked opponents
Things to note
ACC: Has 4 of the top 10 teams in the country in points allowed per game (Virginia, Syracuse, Miami, Louisville)
Big 12: Has 3 of the top 4 teams in the country for points per game (Oklahoma State, Iowa State, West Virginia)
Big East: Has 2 of the top 4 teams in the country for RPI (Creighton, Xavier)
Big Ten: Has 3 teams of the top 16 teams in the country for assists per game (Iowa, Purdue, Michigan State)
Pac 12: Has 2 of the top 4 teams in the country for shooting percentage (UCLA, Washington)
SEC: Has 3 of the top 14 in the country for blocks per game (Kentucky, Texas A&M, Arkansas)
Rankings
1. ACC
The ACC has the no. 1 spot for now. They have the most ranked teams in a conference currently (6), and currently have four of the top ten. They are a pitiful 1-4 against ranked opponents, but with the powerhouse programs that fuel this conference they will soon turn that around.
2. Big 12
A lot of people are sleeping on the Big 12. As of now, half of the conference is ranked (5), although this will change after the Longhorns smackdown by Northwestern. The conference has national respect, and has a legitimate national contender every year in the Kansas Jayhawks. This is a conference that can send six or seven teams to the NCAA tournament. The Big 12 currently has 70 percent of their conference still undefeated, the highest percent compared to the other conferences.
3. Big East
The Big East is the only conference right now that has not lost to a ranked opponent. Each of those wins came against a team in the top 15, and that is impressive. Only three teams in the conference are ranked, but they are all in the top 12 and hold the no. 2 spot with Villanova. Home of the National Champions Villanova, this is a conference that could return to the Final Four and contend again for another National Championship.
4. Big Ten
It may be surprising to see the Big Ten ranked so low, but hear me out. Yes, they do have five ranked teams in their conference, but that is out of 14 teams. They currently hold a terrible record against ranked opponent, posting a 2-6 record. This weakens the conference's argument for a top three spot. However, with teams like Indiana and Wisconsin, this conference will return and will be strong.
5. Pac 12
The Pac 12 has its' ups and downs as a conference every season. It is too early to get a grip on this conference because they have only managed to play 2 ranked opponents, splitting the games 1-1. There are only three ranked teams in this conference, and a 2-loss Oregon team is one of them. Oregon has lost both of their games to unranked opponents, even though they were without their star player Dillon Brooks for the first one. With Arizona and UCLA winning, this conference will remain relevant, but it needs more teams to start contributing.
6. SEC
The SEC is really a one-trick pony that wears a Kentucky Wildcat jersey. They are the only team right now ranked in the conference, and frankly that's all that matters. They are essentially the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball version. The Wildcats have the only ranked win this season in the SEC so far, with the conference going 1-3 total. There will not be much competition from the majority of this conference on a national scale, but as long as Kentucky keeps raising those banners, then the SEC fans will find themselves content.
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