NCAA Basketball: Pac-12 tumbles in latest conference rankings
By Adam Childs
The Big Ten and ACC are starting to pull away as the best NCAA Basketball conferences, while the Pac-12 and Big East continue to struggle. Who comes out on top and who is at the bottom of this weeks conference rankings?
Since the last rankings, we had the Big Ten/ACC Challenge that was supposed to help bring clarity to might be the best conference in the country. Instead, they both finished seven wins for a tie. We learned that Michigan is top five worthy and Duke may be better. Virginia is very good but their defense can give up 70 points in a game. The middle of the conferences is just about even and the bottom is not bad.
The SEC and Big 12 both look solid but the bottom of their respective conferences are struggling. They have some good wins but have also looked bad at times. Kansas and Texas Tech look good for the Big 12 while Tennessee, Kentucky, and Auburn look the part for the SEC. After those teams, it is a jumbled mess that should start to get sorted out soon.
The real concern should be in the Pac-12 and the Big East. Two with different expectations this year, but both are failing to live up to them. Villanova, who has been the rock for the Big East, is ranked but not exactly instilling a lot of confidence in their play. Oregon was supposed to be the top of the Pac-12, but three losses later and they have dropped out of the rankings. Will either conference pick it up? Or will they continue to struggle? Those answers should start to take shape in the next month.
So where does each conference rank and what mid-major is joining the list? Let’s take a look.