B1G is a clear #1. After that, I think you have to go with the Big East. After that, it gets murky.
Here's my list:
1. B1G. Indiana, Michigan and Michigan State are elite. Ohio State, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin can beat anyone on any given night. Conference is absolutely stacked this year.
2. Big East. Syracuse is elite and Louisville can be. Marquette is surging and there's a lot to like about Georgetown, Pitt and Notre Dame. St. John's is also on the bubble and UConn would be right there if not for its post-season ban.
3. ACC. Miami might be the best team in the nation and Duke isn't far behind. Disappointing after that, but NC State, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland are all pretty good basketball teams.
4. Pac-12. No one looks elite, but there are a number of teams who look to be Sweet 16 or even Elite 8 quality with the right draw. Arizona, UCLA, Colorado and Oregon should all be invited to the Dance. Stanford, Arizona State and maybe Cal are also in the hunt.
5. Atlantic-10. Going into the year, I though they'd be my #3. But a lot of teams have disappointed by just being solid without being all that great. Butler has been the best, but they've got a talent deficit this year. Butler and VCU are very, very good. La Salle, Saint Louis, UMass, Charlotte, Temple and Xavier are all threats to Dance. Conference probably sends 5 or 6.
6. Mountain West. Maybe they should be higher. But it looks like CSU is their best team and they're very good but not close to an elite team. New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV likely join CSU in the tourney.
7. Big 12. With Kansas falling off, Baylor disappointing, West Virginia having a down year, and Texas going down the toilet, the Big 12 is just not that good this year. Some solid teams who have the talent to get hot. But Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Oklahoma, while probably tourney-bound, aren't great teams. Kansas State, the conference leader, isn't all that impressive.
8. Tie. Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, West Coast, C-USA and SEC are all pretty much equivalent. 2-bid leagues that could sneak a 3rd if things break right for them. SEC will probably sneak 3 or even 4 in, but I see Florida and then 3 bubble teams in Kentucky, Missouri and Ole Miss that have padded their records against the awful teams in their conference.
Here's my list:
1. B1G. Indiana, Michigan and Michigan State are elite. Ohio State, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin can beat anyone on any given night. Conference is absolutely stacked this year.
2. Big East. Syracuse is elite and Louisville can be. Marquette is surging and there's a lot to like about Georgetown, Pitt and Notre Dame. St. John's is also on the bubble and UConn would be right there if not for its post-season ban.
3. ACC. Miami might be the best team in the nation and Duke isn't far behind. Disappointing after that, but NC State, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland are all pretty good basketball teams.
4. Pac-12. No one looks elite, but there are a number of teams who look to be Sweet 16 or even Elite 8 quality with the right draw. Arizona, UCLA, Colorado and Oregon should all be invited to the Dance. Stanford, Arizona State and maybe Cal are also in the hunt.
5. Atlantic-10. Going into the year, I though they'd be my #3. But a lot of teams have disappointed by just being solid without being all that great. Butler has been the best, but they've got a talent deficit this year. Butler and VCU are very, very good. La Salle, Saint Louis, UMass, Charlotte, Temple and Xavier are all threats to Dance. Conference probably sends 5 or 6.
6. Mountain West. Maybe they should be higher. But it looks like CSU is their best team and they're very good but not close to an elite team. New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV likely join CSU in the tourney.
7. Big 12. With Kansas falling off, Baylor disappointing, West Virginia having a down year, and Texas going down the toilet, the Big 12 is just not that good this year. Some solid teams who have the talent to get hot. But Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Oklahoma, while probably tourney-bound, aren't great teams. Kansas State, the conference leader, isn't all that impressive.
8. Tie. Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, West Coast, C-USA and SEC are all pretty much equivalent. 2-bid leagues that could sneak a 3rd if things break right for them. SEC will probably sneak 3 or even 4 in, but I see Florida and then 3 bubble teams in Kentucky, Missouri and Ole Miss that have padded their records against the awful teams in their conference.
