NCAA Basketball: Ranking the best conferences

Apr 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Ryan Boatright (11) celebrates with the trophy as CBS announcer interviews guard Shabazz Napier (13) after the Huskies beat the Kentucky Wildcats in the championship game of the Final Four in the 2014 NCAA Mens Division I Championship tournament at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 20, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self huddles with his team during their practice session prior to the 2nd round of the 2014 NCAA Men /

#5 – 3: Driving the Lane Out of Control

#5 – Big 12

Top 25 Teams – 3
Top 10 Teams – 0

Biggest Plus – Bill Self and Kansas
Biggest Minus – Perceived weakness of conference

Here’s a conference on the verge of greatness…or an epic fall. The perennial contenders – Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas – did not disappoint (for the most part) and the conference overall had a very good season. But the Big 12 lacked real oomph when it came time for the tournament, and the lackluster season-long performances from teams like Oklahoma State, Kansas State and West Virginia didn’t help the reputation of the league. The recruiting classes for the upcoming season will tell a lot about how much this conference will improve or stagnate.

#4 – Pac-12

Top 25 Teams – 3
Top 10 Teams – 1

Biggest Plus – Still lots of pull for teams like UCLA, Stanford and USC
Biggest Minus – Teams like UCLA, Stanford and USC not performing up to expectations

The Pac-12 has the potential to sit on top of the college basketball world, with some of the richest schools in the nation, the draw of some beautiful Southern California weather, and banners hanging from the rafters in many of the schools auditoriums. But the conference is middling, and just doesn’t have the wow factor that it once did. Arizona has been impressive recently, but for the Pac-12 to really flex its muscle, UCLA has got to be one of the national players and tournament favorites. On the positive side, there were only four teams in the conference with losing records in 2013-14.

#3 – Southeastern Conference:

Top 25 Teams – 3
Top 10 Teams – 2

Biggest Plus – John Calipari and Kentucky
Biggest Minus – Too many 20-win teams with low RPI

Here you have Kentucky, Florida…and then a lot of really good teams who really didn’t do much of anything. The conference used to boast 4-5 top teams every year, but coaching changes and some one-and-done recruiting classes (not just at Kentucky) have taken their toll on the mighty SEC. There are several teams – Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, LSU and Arkansas – who are on the upswing and could really make the SEC an ultra-competitive conference in 2014-15. Watch out for a record number of SEC teams being invited to next year’s NCAA tournament.

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