The Big 12 is the Nation's Best Conference

Which conference is the nation’s best? It’s a question that invariably makes its way through college basketball circles on a yearly basis. And with the glittery days of March Madness beginning to appear on the horizon, now is the time such conversations usually begin taking place.

Ironically, this year’s debates probably won’t last quite as long. In fact, those often-heated discussions could be amongst the shortest in recent history.

Why might you ask? Because one conference has clearly established itself as the cream of the crop.

Go back in time a few years and the ACC probably would’ve been that league. After all, North Carolina, Duke, N.C. State and Georgia Tech along with Wake Forest, Virginia and Maryland set up like a murderer’s row on the national stage throughout the 1980s, 90’s and early 2000s.

Times change however and while the ACC is still amongst the country’s best leagues, shifting power structures created by conference realignment has brought it back to the pack.

Speaking of shifting power structures, no conference has lost more in recent years than the Big East.

More from Busting Brackets

Once a feared group of 16 teams that took turns pummeling one another, the East Coast’s favorite league has changed dramatically over the past five years. Gone are the likes of Syracuse, Boston College, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. Now, the conference is represented by schools such as Creighton, Butler and Xavier.

Make no mistake, the Big East is still a quality league. It just isn’t peering down from the mountaintop these days.

Neither is the Big 10.

While the nation’s oldest conference usually finds itself squarely in the mix as one of the country’s best, any such notions for 2015-16 should be put on hold indefinitely. Simply stated, the league just isn’t very good, as its paltry No. 6 RPI rating clearly indicates

What about the Pac-12 or the SEC?

While both conferences boast some nice teams at the top (specifically Arizona and Kentucky), a decided lack of depth hurts when judging them as potentially the best overall conference.

Which brings us to the Big 12. Or as the RPI’s ratings show, the new king of college basketball conferences.

The Big 12 is currently ranked No. 1 in conference RPI and one look at the league’s lineup of quality outfits provides ample reason why.

Kansas and Oklahoma have stood at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in both major polls in recent weeks. And with the Jayhawks coming off a loss to league rivals West Virginia, the Sooners took over the top-spot on Monday after eking out a win over Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers over the weekend.

More from Big 12

Yet the Big 12’s true strength lies in its depth. As of Sunday, seven of the league’s teams were rated in the RPI’s top-40, including Iowa State, Baylor, Texas and surprising Texas Tech. The league also possesses five teams with a strength of schedule ranking amongst the top-20 nationally and four in the top-10.

Compare that with the Pac-12, which is ranked second in conference RPI and has three teams in the top-30 but just two carrying a strength of schedule ranking amongst the top-20.

Add it all up and there is little doubt the Big 12 is the conference of choice for 2015-16.

The question now is how many of the conference’s 10 teams will be dancing come March.

If tournament pairings were announced today, Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Baylor, Texas and Iowa State would be stone-cold locks to be placed in a regional. The most impressive thing about that list? None of them figure to be knocked out of contention unless something catastrophic occurs between now and March.

That leaves Texas Tech and Kansas State as the league’s only bubble-teams.

Tubby Smith has worked wonders in Lubbock, taking a moribundly stale product and turning it into a respectable program. The Red Raiders went an impressive 10-1 in non-conference action and opened the Big 12 slate with a win over Texas. But a nasty lineup of the Cyclones, Jayhawks, Wildcats and Bears has led to a four-game losing skid heading into their date with TCU.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

As for Kansas State, Bruce Weber’s team is usually in contention for an NCAA bid and this season appears to be no different. Still, the Wildcats’ only conference victory was over Texas Tech on Jan. 13. The good news is that there will be plenty of opportunities to get signature wins from here on out.

Even if Texas Tech and Kansas State falter, the Big 12 appears ready for a memorable showing on the national stage.

Kansas and Oklahoma seem destined to claim high seeds in the NCAAs while West Virginia, Iowa State and Baylor are also in good position for favorable slots once the pairings are announced. Throw-in Shaka Smart’s Longhorns, who have faced the nation’s second-toughest schedule according to the RPI, and the Big 12 should be well represented come March.

Next: Runnin' Rebels Rapid Collapse did in Dave Rice

There’s always the possibility the Big 12 could underperform at the NCAAs. Facing such stiff competition every night can have a wearing effect on even the best teams after all.

Still, the Big 12’s time appears to be now. The league has already delivered several thrilling conference matchups with more to follow in coming weeks. It has a pair of marquee players in Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield and Kansas’ Perry Ellis. And it has the depth to possibly send eight of 10 teams to the NCAAs, a number that would rival the best showing of any league in recent memory.

For the Big 12, the time is indeed now. The only question is whether it can live up to top-billing under the microscope of March.

Home/Big 12

The Big 12 is the Nation’s Best Conference

By Matt Johnson | Jan 19, 2016

More from Busting Brackets