The Second Best Conference

[NYC Duke Fan]

I am not sure when I remembered a men's basketball season where there is no clear cut basketball conference that you could say is the second best conference or where one conference is so head and shoulders above the rest.

Who would you rate behind the Big East ?

The Big Ten with Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Purdue and possibly even Northwestern?

The Big 12 with Kansas, Kansas State and Texas ?

The SEC with Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Mississippi, Tennessee, Mississippi State ?

The ACC with Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Maryland , Wake, Florida State ?

Could an arguement be made for the Atlantic 10 with Temple, Rhode Island, Xavier, Charlotte or Conference USA with Memphis, Tulsa, UTEP and UAB ?

I guess looking at the leagues as a whole top to bottom, the ACC would probably rank as the most compettitive with every team being decent.

Incidentally has any ACC school beaten a Big East team this year?

[flyingdutchdevil]

I am not sure when I remembered a men's basketball season where there is no clear cut basketball conference that you could say is the second best conference or where one conference is so head and shoulders above the rest.

Who would you rate behind the Big East ?

The Big Ten with Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Purdue and possibly even Northwestern?

The Big 12 with Kansas, Kansas State and Texas ?

The SEC with Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Mississippi, Tennessee, Mississippi State ?

The ACC with Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Maryland , Wake, Florida State ?

Could an arguement be made for the Atlantic 10 with Temple, Rhode Island, Xavier, Charlotte or Conference USA with Memphis, Tulsa, UTEP and UAB ?

I guess looking at the leagues as a whole top to bottom, the ACC would probably rank as the most compettitive with every team being decent.

Incidentally has any ACC school beaten a Big East team this year?

I would actually consider the Big Ten as the best conference with the Big East not far behind it. Some have argued that the Big Ten really isn't that good, but they have a lot of top tier teams that can beat anyone on any given day: Mich State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Ohio State. From top-to-bottom it is pretty good. The Big East, though, has a few really great teams, some good teams, and then it really drops (although USF on their hot streak may disprove this).

I think the third best is the Big 12. Kansas, KS, and Texas are all good (with Kansas being borderline great). Each could go really far in the tourney. But after these teams, it really drops off.

After that, it really drops off. The ACC is probably fourth, although you can argue that the SEC is just as good (I hear readers clicking 'Reply' to this statement ). The ACC is competitive within itself, but we have been pretty lousy against other BCS conferences.

And, lastly, to answer your question, our Blue Devils beat UCONN!

[Bob Green]

Incidentally has any ACC school beaten a Big East team this year?

Wow! It appears you are suffering from CRS . Duke beat UConn in MSG and Duke beat St. John's in CIS.

[wolfpackdevil]

I would actually consider the Big Ten as the best conference with the Big East not far behind it. Some have argued that the Big Ten really isn't that good, but they have a lot of top tier teams that can beat anyone on any given day: Mich State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Ohio State. From top-to-bottom it is pretty good. The Big East, though, has a few really great teams, some good teams, and then it really drops (although USF on their hot streak may disprove this).

I think the third best is the Big 12. Kansas, KS, and Texas are all good (with Kansas being borderline great). Each could go really far in the tourney. But after these teams, it really drops off.

After that, it really drops off. The ACC is probably fourth, although you can argue that the SEC is just as good (I hear readers clicking 'Reply' to this statement ). The ACC is competitive within itself, but we have been pretty lousy against other BCS conferences.

And, lastly, to answer your question, our Blue Devils beat UCONN!

I'd have to say that the Big 12 is the second best conference in the country. Obviously the top 3 teams, (Kansas, Texas and K-State) are all capable of making it to the final four.

But then you have 3 teams that I think are underrated. Baylor, Texas A&M, and Missouri.

Texas A&M is 16-6 and has wins this year over Clemson, Minnesotta and a close loss to Texas on the road.

Missori is 16-6 with wins over Kansas State and Illinios, and they are one of the best 3 point shooting teams I've seen when they are feeling it.

And Baylor is 17-4 and ranked 24th in the country. They've beated Xavier, 2 SEC teams, and Texas on the road.

I think if you match up these 6 Big 12 teams against the top 6 in the Big Ten, that the Big 12 would win 5 or 6 of those games.

I think the rankings are:

1) Big East
2) Big 12
3) Big Ten
4) ACC
5) A-10

[Duvall]

Wow! It appears you are suffering from CRS . Duke beat UConn in MSG and Duke beat St. John's in CIS.

Those were Duke wins. Some people have trouble remembering those.

[NYC Duke Fan]

I would actually consider the Big Ten as the best conference with the Big East not far behind it. Some have argued that the Big Ten really isn't that good, but they have a lot of top tier teams that can beat anyone on any given day: Mich State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Ohio State. From top-to-bottom it is pretty good. The Big East, though, has a few really great teams, some good teams, and then it really drops (although USF on their hot streak may disprove this).

I think the third best is the Big 12. Kansas, KS, and Texas are all good (with Kansas being borderline great). Each could go really far in the tourney. But after these teams, it really drops off.

After that, it really drops off. The ACC is probably fourth, although you can argue that the SEC is just as good (I hear readers clicking 'Reply' to this statement ). The ACC is competitive within itself, but we have been pretty lousy against other BCS conferences.

And, lastly, to answer your question, our Blue Devils beat UCONN!

Whoops, a senior moment..I forgot !!!

[Deslok]

Just to note some computer numbers. Ken Pomeroy's stats come out with the ACC as the top overall conference, just ahead of the Big 12, followed by the Big East. If you go over to Sagarin, he's got a virtual dead heat at the top between the Big 12 and ACC, with the Big East again in 3rd. So, for whatever its worth, the computer would argue for the ACC as the top conference.

[A-Tex Devil]

Just to note some computer numbers. Ken Pomeroy's stats come out with the ACC as the top overall conference, just ahead of the Big 12, followed by the Big East. If you go over to Sagarin, he's got a virtual dead heat at the top between the Big 12 and ACC, with the Big East again in 3rd. So, for whatever its worth, the computer would argue for the ACC as the top conference.

I think we need to differentiate "best" from "toughest". I'd argue that the Big East has the most elite teams. However, there are so many dogs in that conference that teams get a break. occasionally when they play a DePaul or a St. Johns or a Providence or (before 2 weeks ago) a USF.

Not so in the ACC and the Big XII. Look what CU almost pulled last night and what State did to us. There are no gimmes in the 16 game schedules of those conferences. No built in cupcakes.