College basketball conference rankings: SEC rebounds from humiliating start

The ACC remains the dominant conference in college basketball conference rankings thanks to another flawless week from Coach K and Duke.

1. ACC

The Duke Blue Devils had a close call — as well as some favorable ones from the referees — against the Georgetown Hoyas as they remained undefeated and the top-ranked team in the country. This is a throwback team for Mike Krzyzewski, anchored by a defense-first approach along with solid guard play and a dominant big man. We’ll see if they can continue to sit atop the polls going forward. Elsewhere in the league, it was a mostly quiet week as the North Carolina Tar Heels only played once. Virginia was tested a few times but the pack line didn’t break and they are undefeated as well. Feast Week will see these top teams likely face some stiffer competition.

2. Big Ten

After a poor beginning to the 2019-20 NCAA season, the conference has steadied itself as of late. The teams are winning the games they should and looks potentially like they could be the deepest conference in the country with the likes of Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Penn State, and Purdue all having strong starts. The teams that were supposed to power the conference have been somewhat of a letdown to date but there is still plenty of time for them to show the nation why they had three teams (Michigan State, Maryland and Ohio State) ranked in the top 10 at the beginning of last week.

3. Pac-12

Had the Arizona State Sun Devils been able to pull off the upset of the Virginia Cavaliers at the Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off on Sunday night then the Pac-12 likely would have found itself at the top of these rankings this week. However, Bobby Hurley’s team came up just short. Meanwhile, the team in Tuscon is catching fire at the right time and their three freshmen (Nico Mannion, Josh Green, Zeke Nnaji) have been all of the firepower Sean Miller’s team has needed to begin the year. Colorado has made its way into the AP Poll Top 25 at 23, and the Washington Huskies have bounced back from their loss to the Tennessee Volunteers from a week ago. It is only a matter of time before East Coast bias is done and over with if these teams keep performing like this.

4. SEC

What a way to respond after coming in dead last in the previous batch of rankings. The main reason for the resurgence is the team that was also one of the biggest disappointment to start the season, the Florida Gators. They beat Saint Josephs, Miami, and No. 18 Xavier on their way to winning the Charleston Classic. It still hasn’t looked perfect but it is a step in the right direction for Mike White’s team. On the other hand, the Kentucky Wildcats continue to play with their food — where’s the team from the Champions Classic hiding? They really need some other teams to step up if they want to be recognized as one of the premier leagues in the country.

5. Big 12

Baylor had an impressive run in the Myrtle Beach Invitational that culminated in a championship game win over the No. 17 Villanova Wildcats. The Bears haven’t skipped a beat since their win over the Washington Huskies at the Armed Forces Classic and they look the part of serious threat to taking the conference championship this year. Texas Tech, however, would like to remind everyone they were the runner-up in the national championship game just a few months ago. Chris Beard’s group is picking up right where last year’s team left off. Texas’ lost to Georgetown brought the overall high this team was riding to a halt but on the whole, this conference has been at its best when the lights were the brightest.

6. American

Don’t look now but the Memphis Tigers have been able to stay afloat without their James Wiseman life raft on the floor. Knowing he’ll be back in mid-January is a big boost for this team and Penny surely must love the other freshmen are being counted upon to do even more without the projected number one overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft sidelined. Also, Dan Hurley really has the Huskies looking like a legit team for the first time since Kevin Ollie led them to a title in his first season on the sidelines and had Shabazz Napier looking like a future first-round pick* (*According to LeBron James’ Twitter account).

7. Big East

This isn’t your father’s Big East and while there are still great programs it doesn’t have the same feel as it did in the 80s and 90s. They didn’t have as bad of a week as the SEC did last week but with the Xavier Musketeers and Villanova Wildcats both suffering losses in championship games of their respective in-season tournaments the conference ends off the week with a whimper rather than a roar. Though it might not be fair, this conference will be judged by what the teams at the top do more so than any of their collegiate contemporaries.

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