NCAA Basketball: Big 12 causing big changes to top 25
By Doug Winkey
It’s very rare that one conference is to blame for top 25 shakeups, but that proved false when the Big 12 created huge NCAA basketball upsets this past weekend.
Last week saw over half of the AP top 10 lose. That sort of parity is great for fans, but terrible for projections like our top 25. The Big 12 was the biggest offender with the conference’s top three teams dropping home games to unranked opponents. That shows just how strong the conference really is this year.
The biggest thing to note entering the middle of February is that conference races are starting to widen. The Big 12, Big East and Big Ten leaders all have leads of at least 1.5 games. The closest and most surprising race right now is the SEC, where Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina are all tied at 9-2. That would definitely be major news if someone could take the title away from the Wildcats.
Sadly, every mid-major I highlighted in our last top 25 lost; Illinois State, Akron, and Middle Tennessee State all fell, but each still lead their respective conferences. We have just over three weeks of the regular season left and many more classic matchups are coming.