5 Best College Basketball Conferences In The Country

By Andrew Musur on January 27, 2015

College basketball is all about bragging rights. Teams want to be the best amongst their counterparts, and conferences want to earn respect from the country.

This year has brought several talented teams from different conferences all over the country. So many conferences have similar teams, but who is the best conference in all of college basketball? With the help of ESPN’s RPI rankings, below are my top five college basketball conferences.

But first, let’s talk about the teams that just missed the cut.

Just Missed The Cut: Pac 12, American, Mountain West

The Pac 12 just missed the cut for the top five conferences in America. The Pac 12 has been extremely fun to watch this year, but the strength of the conference is questionable.

Only four teams from the Pac 12 are in the RPI top 50 (Arizona #5, Utah #11, Stanford #33, Washington #47), and only one team, Arizona, sits inside the RPI top 10. There should be no more than three teams representing the Pac 12 come March, which is why the conference is not worthy of a top five spot.

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The American conference came next on my list for just missing the cut. Much like the Pac 12, the American conference has a small pool of talented teams on top. Three teams from the American conference sit inside the RPI top 50 (SMU #19, Cincinnati #28, Tulsa #48), and six are in the Top 80 (Memphis #77, Connecticut #80).

Although the conference has a few solid teams, the bottom four teams in the conference sit at RPI’s of 200 and more (UCF #208, South Florida #215, Houston #246, East Carolina #254). Unfortunately, those four teams really hurt the overall strength of the conference.

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Lastly, the Mountain West conference made a small case for top five conferences in America. The Mountain West currently has two teams inside the RPI top 30: San Diego State (27) and Colorado State (29). Though those two teams are extremely talented, the rest of the conference is sub-par.

Six of the 11 teams in the Mountain West sit out of the RPI top 100, including winless San Jose State who sits at a whopping RPI of 318. Too many lackluster teams keep the Mountain West out of the top five list.

No.5: The SEC (14 Teams)

Average RPI: 75

Top 10 Teams: 1 (Kentucky #2)

Top 25 Teams: 3 (Arkansas #22, Georgia #24)

Top 50 Teams: 7 (Texas A&M #34, LSU #39, Ole Miss #45, Alabama #46)

Top 100 Teams: 9 (Tennessee #54, Florida #81)

Top 100-200 Teams: 14 (Vanderbilt #108, South Carolina #115, Auburn #133, Missouri #149, Mississippi State #198)

The SEC has been one of the more impressive conferences this year. The conference is lead by current AP No. 1 Kentucky.

The undefeated wildcats have dominated throughout the season winning 19 straight. The Wildcats high RPI rating really helps the overall conference strength of the SEC.

Besides Kentucky, the SEC has two other teams ranked inside the RPI top 25: Arkansas and Georgia. The strength of this conference does not stop there, as a whopping seven out of 14 teams from the SEC are lodged in the RPI top 50.

An extremely deep conference, the SEC will not have a problem getting several teams into the Dance this year.

No.4: The Big Ten (14 Teams)

Average RPI: 63.21

Top 10 Teams: 1 (Wisconsin #9)

Top 25 Teams: 2 (Maryland #14)

Top 50 Teams: 5 (Indiana #30, Michigan State #40, Ohio State #41)

Top 100 Teams: 13 (Iowa #51, Illinois #56, Michigan #70, Nebraska #84, Purdue #89, Minnesota #90, Rutgers #91, Penn State #95)

Top 100-200 Teams: 14 (Northwestern #125)

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At points this season the Big Ten has looked like the best conference in the country. Teams like Wisconsin, Maryland, and Indiana make it easy to take notice of the conference.

Though plenty of talent sits at the top of the conference, the Big Ten runs deeper than that. There is no conference in America with more depth than the Big Ten.

Thirteen out of 14 conference teams are in the RPI top 95. There is never a night off when it comes to Big Ten play. An extremely competitive conference from top to bottom, the Big Ten deserves to be mentioned near the top of this list.

No.3: The Big East (10 Teams)

Average RPI: 54.10

Top 10 Teams: 1 (Villanova #6)

Top 25 Teams: 4 (Georgetown #12, Butler #17, Providence #21)

Top 50 Teams: 7 (Xavier #32, Seton Hall #42, St. Johns #42)

Top 100 Teams: 7

Top 100-200 Teams: 10 (Marquette #112, Depaul #126, Creighton #131)

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The Big East has been the most surprising conference this year. The conference boasts an incredible four teams in the RPI top 25. This conference is extremely talented at top, but also has depth.

The Big East had the second lowest RPI average at 54.10. The best team in this conference is Villanova and it will be interesting to see if they can compete with the best of the best during March Madness.

The Big East very well could be the best conference in America by the end of the year.

No.2: ACC (15 Teams)

Average RPI: 70.20

Top 10 Teams: 2 (Virginia #3, Duke #7)

Top 25 Teams: 4 (North Carolina #10, Louisville #20)

Top 50 Teams: 7 (Notre Dame #35, Miami #37, NC State #44)

Top 100 Teams: 11 (Syracuse #61, Pittsburgh #74, Georgia Tech #87, Clemson #92)

Top 100-200 Teams: 15 (Boston College #118, Florida State #130, Wake Forest #138, Virginia Tech #197)

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The ACC is the only conference in America with two teams in the RPI top 10. It is also one of the two conferences left with an undefeated team.

Virginia (3) and Duke (7) could both be in the discussion for a number one seed when the season is over, but the ACC has much more than Virginia and Duke. A competitive conference from top to bottom the ACC may end up with nine tournament teams.

The ACC may have lost head-to-head to the Big Ten earlier this year in their yearly challenge, but the ACC has equal depth and more talent towards the top of the conference than the Big Ten.

No.1: Big 12 (10 Teams)

Average RPI: 48.60

Top 10 Teams: 1 (Kansas #1)

Top 25 Teams: 5 (Iowa State #15, Baylor #16, West Virginia #18, Texas #25)

Top 50 Teams: 7 (Oklahoma #31, Oklahoma State #36)

Top 100 Teams: 8 (Kansas State #71)

Top 100-200 Teams: 10 (TCU #121, Texas Tech #152)

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With the lowest average RPI, the Big 12 tops my list as the toughest conference in America. An extremely top heavy conference, the Big 12 has impressed many with their five RPI top 25 teams: Kansas (1), West Virginia (15), Baylor (16), Iowa State (18) and Texas (25).

The quality does not stop there, as eight out of 10 teams made the Top 100. The Big 12 should get seven bids in the NCAA tournament marking this the second year in a row that the conference has done that. The Big 12 will have the opportunity to prove they are the nation’s best conference come tournament time.

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