Big 12: Best Conference in College Hoops

[hideaway70]

As a recent immigrant to Kansas from Indiana, I am noticing how nuts the college hoops fans are here in Manhattan and in Lawrence. With KU, Texas, Kansas State and Texas Tech in the top 20, is the Big 12 the best conference for college hoops these days? Opinions?

[john40]

As a recent immigrant to Kansas from Indiana, I am noticing how nuts the college hoops fans are here in Manhattan and in Lawrence. With KU, Texas, Kansas State and Texas Tech in the top 20, is the Big 12 the best conference for college hoops these days? Opinions?

Possibly but Texas Tech.wouldn't be there without help from Indiana.

[hideaway70]

I guess this weekend answered this question, at least for the moment...

[hideaway70]

Big happenins this Monday here in Manhattan. #1 Texas is coming to Bramlage to play K-State. Should be a fun one, but the Wildcats are going to have to play flawlessly to even have a shot.

[troublesome one]

That's open to conjecture right now (2/15/10).

The Top 10 in AP poll break down like this:
Big East 4
Big Ten 2
Big 12 2
ACC 1
SEC 1

You see more parity if you expand to the Top 25:
Big East 5
Big 12 5
Big Ten 4
SEC 3
A10 2
ACC 2

The problem in all the power conferences is they beat up on each other. Kansas is looking the best so far but they could stumble like Syracuse.

Purdue should've dropped 80 on Iowa but missed open shots & JuJuan Johnson blew two slams. They're got a real test in Columbus Wed. night.

[TheBigB]

The Big 12 is getting pretty close to disintegrating.

[hideaway70]

The Big 12 is getting pretty close to disintegrating.

What is that statement based on?

While I would have to concede that, as the season has worn on Texas has proven to be less of a machine than they appeared to be early on, the conference as whole is pretty solid. Kansas and K-State have been very good all season long, with KU staying within the top 3 all year and K-State hovering around #9-10 most of the season, while playing a brutal January conference schedule. Factor in competitive teams from Texas Tech, Baylor, Missouri and Texas and it seems like they are the best overall, with the Big East being the only other conference to have a real argument that they are better.

It does seem obvious that there is no powerhouse team team this year that stands above the rest. Kansas and Kentucky are very beatable given the right matchup.

[TheBigB]

What is that statement based on?

While I would have to concede that, as the season has worn on Texas has proven to be less of a machine than they appeared to be early on, the conference as whole is pretty solid. Kansas and K-State have been very good all season long, with KU staying within the top 3 all year and K-State hovering around #9-10 most of the season, while playing a brutal January conference schedule. Factor in competitive teams from Texas Tech, Baylor, Missouri and Texas and it seems like they are the best overall, with the Big East being the only other conference to have a real argument that they are better.

It does seem obvious that there is no powerhouse team team this year that stands above the rest. Kansas and Kentucky are very beatable given the right matchup.

You completely missed the point of my post.

With Texas and Missouri flirting with the Big Ten (or vice versa) and the Pac-10 flirting with Colorado, the Big 12 as a conference may be within a few years of disappearing.

I don't think there are enough interconference games to reliably determine what conference is tougher. The NCAA tournament might answer some of that, but even then we are talking about limited data. Computer ratings often give you inexplicable results (Sagarin has the ACC and the Big 12 at a dead heat right now).

Ask me in April.

[hideaway70]

You completely missed the point of my post.

With Texas and Missouri flirting with the Big Ten (or vice versa) and the Pac-10 flirting with Colorado, the Big 12 as a conference may be within a few years of disappearing.

I don't think there are enough interconference games to reliably determine what conference is tougher. The NCAA tournament might answer some of that, but even then we are talking about limited data. Computer ratings often give you inexplicable results (Sagarin has the ACC and the Big 12 at a dead heat right now).

Ask me in April.

You're right, I did miss the point. Sorry about the confusion. I assumed we were talking about the current season.

The lack of interconference matchups does make it tough to compare the quality of the teams, but it sure is fun to try. The polls obviously make these judgements somehow and I for one love to second-guess the "experts".


So, leaving the conferences aside, I hereby cast my vote for Kansas as the college basketball capitol of the world currently. KU and K-State both in the Top 10...