Jetsfan80 Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 According to the RPI. I have "bracketed" them into tiers; the conferences that are further apart from each other have space in between them. These rankings are of relatively large importance; now that conference play is about to get started, they won't change very much over the course of the season. 1) Big East 2) Big 12 3) ACC 4) Atlantic-10 5) SEC 6) PAC-10 7) Big 10 8) Mountain West 9) Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) 10) Missouri Valley The A-10 has been very surprising this season, with as many as 5 teams looking like NCAA Tournament teams, led by Temple. The Big East appears to be a lock to get 8 teams, maybe more. West Virginia just escaped over Seton Hall and looks like the best team in the conference. Usual suspects UCONN, Syracuse, Georgetown have played well, but St. John's is a real upstart this season and may crash the party. The ACC's ranking should get them 5 or 6 bids, but don't be fooled; its very parity driven, and the records are deceiving. Virginia Tech (10-1), for example, hasn't played anyone of value except perhaps Georgia. Duke is the only real "contender" of the group; the rest are not all that dangerous. The Big 12 and SEC are where they should be, the Big 10 and PAC-10 are having down years. Among the mid-majors, as a CAA fan and supporter, I'm very excited about what the conference has accomplished so far. William & Mary won @ Wake Forest. ODU has won @ Georgetown. Those 2 schools and VCU are all worthy of NCAA bids if the season ended today. Watch out for these schools come March. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PS17 Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Pac-10 above Big-10? I don't even think the Pac-10 is a top-ten league this year. They are AWFUL. At least the Big-11 has Purdue, Michigan St, Ohio St, Wisconsin, etc. I think the Big East is the best league again, but I haven't really been too impressed with anyone outside of West VA and Syracuse. The Big 12 is looking good this year, but I think by the time March rolls around, the BE will be #1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 Pac-10 above Big-10? I don't even think the Pac-10 is a top-ten league this year. They are AWFUL. At least the Big-11 has Purdue, Michigan St, Ohio St, Wisconsin, etc. I think the Big East is the best league again, but I haven't really been too impressed with anyone outside of West VA and Syracuse. The Big 12 is looking good this year, but I think by the time March rolls around, the BE will be #1. Mind you, its only a SMALL gap between the PAC-10 and the Big 10. You're also forgetting that the PAC-10 has played a ridiculously tough schedule overall. Cal is 6-4, but they've played Syracuse, Ohio State, @ Kansas and none of their wins have come against weaklings. Washington (8-2) has a similar story and has also beaten Texas A & M. Yes, everyone in the PAC-10 has had some missed opportunities, which is why they're a (distant) 6th. But they're not doing any worse than the Big 10, mainly because they've avoided some of the more damaging losses. Wisconsin lost to Green Bay, for instance. And you're right about the Big East probably remaining # 1 by March. As I mentioned before, the conference rankings don't change much once conference play starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernJet Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 what counts is who performs in the Dance in March, not now in teh Nov thru March pre-season, ..then we will see best conferences Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uart Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Among the mid-majors, as a CAA fan and supporter George Mason is good this year too, but the bottom of the CAA (and the bottom of the A-10) is absolutely abysmal. Delaware basketball? Notsomuch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uart Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 I think the Big East is the best league again, but I haven't really been too impressed with anyone outside of West VA and Syracuse. The Big 12 is looking good this year, but I think by the time March rolls around, the BE will be #1. Villanova doesn't impress in the regular season ever. We still win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 what counts is who performs in the Dance in March, not now in teh Nov thru March pre-season, ..then we will see best conferences Well, conference strength helps determine who MAKES it to March to represent their conference, SJ. I'm tired of people talking about how nothing matters in college basketball until March. You miss a lot of great basketball with that kind of thinking, even in November and December. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 George Mason is good this year too, but the bottom of the CAA (and the bottom of the A-10) is absolutely abysmal. Delaware basketball? Notsomuch. True, but nearly every conference has their dregs, and the conference as a whole has done a pretty good job avoiding the really bad losses. Delaware just won @ Vermont, so if they're the worst team in the CAA, that's not bad. The top 8 teams in the CAA have all impressed this season, and that's a recipe for success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernJet Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Well, conference strength helps determine who MAKES it to March to represent their conference, SJ. I'm tired of people talking about how nothing matters in college basketball until March. You miss a lot of great basketball with that kind of thinking, even in November and December. u missed point..of course i enjoy teh nov thru march games..i just meant chest thumping over conf strengths means zilch till when it really reflects 'money time' quality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 u missed point..of course i enjoy teh nov thru march games..i just meant chest thumping over conf strengths means zilch till when it really reflects 'money time' quality Not really thumping chests over any of the power conferences. Obviously, I'm proud of the CAA being in the top 10, since that is rare, but I have no preference for the Big East, ACC, etc. This was primarily for informative purposes. And like I said, conferences that are ranked at the top NOW tend to be the ones that get the most bids. The Big 12 and Big East are pretty much GUARENTEED to have 14 or more combined representatives in the Big Dance this March, and I'd say that's a pretty big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernJet Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Not really thumping chests over any of the power conferences. Obviously, I'm proud of the CAA being in the top 10, since that is rare, but I have no preference for the Big East, ACC, etc. This was primarily for informative purposes. And like I said, conferences that are ranked at the top NOW tend to be the ones that get the most bids. The Big 12 and Big East are pretty much GUARENTEED to have 14 or more combined representatives in the Big Dance this March, and I'd say that's a pretty big deal. again, its not the # INVITED to the dance, its the teams that advance that shows true conf ability at end..some conferences have a history of putting teams in tourney but not advancing many far into tourney.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cr726 Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Jay Wright gets outcoached when it matters. Villanova doesn't impress in the regular season ever. We still win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 again, its not the # INVITED to the dance, its the teams that advance that shows true conf ability at end..some conferences have a history of putting teams in tourney but not advancing many far into tourney.. I agree to a point. The more teams you get into the dance, the better your conference's chances of producing a champion. And yes, some conferences do better than others. If you're comparing at the BCS level, the SEC and ACC typically have done very well at producing Final 4 teams, whereas the Big East, Big 10 and PAC-10 have had trouble in this category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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