NCAA Basketball: Biggest question for 2022-23 power conference favorites

Every NCAA Basketball conference has a favorite heading into the season. Sometimes it is clear and obvious who that favorite is, other times it can be a two or three-team race between programs that are separated by a miss here and a mistake there. At the beginning of each season, those favorites are decided and it’s hard to see how that outcome strays offline if everything goes right.

But in college hoops, nothing ever goes completely right.

So what are pressing questions for each 2022-23 conference favorite heading into this season? Last year, those questions surrounded Purdue’s defense, just how good Paolo Banchero is going to be, and how much you believed in UCLA’s 2021 Final Four run. The question doesn’t always mean that a team won’t win the conference if things don’t go perfectly, but it can turn a clear front-runner into a team needing two wins in its last three conference games to claim a regular season championship.

For the purpose of this exercise, one team from each of the six major conferences will be identified as the favorite. Depending on who you ask, there’s a case for Indiana or Illinois in the Big Ten and a respectable conversation can be had about Kansas and Baylor in the Big 12. Some favorites are a step above the rest heading into the season and will be treated accordingly. Here are the six teams that will be discussed:

ACC: North Carolina

Big East: Creighton

Big Ten: Indiana

Big 12: Baylor

Pac 12: UCLA

SEC: Kentucky

Without further ado, let’s dive into one question for each team that will play a big role in deciding whether or not the conference runs through their home court. First up, Armando Bacot and the North Carolina Tar Heels.