Is the Big 10 the best Conference for Basketball?

**CycloneErik** · 03-26-2010, 08:46 PM

SEC has two of the Elite Eight.......

Big 12 has two of the Elite Eight.......

I'm going to go ahead and so they're not the premier conference. They could have two Elite Eight teams as well, but I think UNI and Duke probably win these games tonight.

**keepngoal** · 03-26-2010, 08:47 PM

Originally Posted by CycloneErik

SEC has two of the Elite Eight.......

so does the Big 12

**CycloneErik** · 03-26-2010, 08:48 PM

Originally Posted by keepngoal

so does the Big 12

I got that into my updated post. I was slow on the uptake.

**Wesley** · 03-26-2010, 08:54 PM

Originally Posted by SplitIdentity

Terrible in the non-conference? How so?

Purdue has wins against Wake, @Alabama, 15 point victory against WVU, and Texas AM.

Ohio State has wins against @Cal, Florida State

Michigan State has wins against Gonzaga and

Wisconsin has wins against Maryland, Duke, Marquette, and Arizona

Minnesota has a win against Butler

Illinois won at Clemson

Northwestern has wins against Notre Dame, Iowa State, NC State, Stanford

I'll agree that the pre-season OOC, but they did play some strong teams and had some close losses.

Besides, if you'll remember back 3 years ago when no Big Ten teams advanced to the Sweet 16, all the rage was how much that conference sucked due to their lack of performance in the NCAA Tournament. Then last year everybody was so pumped because the Big 12 had a pretty solid record in the NCAA Tournament.

Come on, just admit it, right now, the Big Ten is playing the best basketball as a conference. The Big 12 might have a better team (I'll admit KSU looked pretty solid, and UK is undoubtedly better), but 7-2 is hard to argue with.

Yeah, but what have they done lately ?

**mikeiastat** · 03-26-2010, 09:13 PM

Originally Posted by Tornado man

If people would strip away their anti-Big 10 bias, they would acknowledge that the Big 10 has been very impressive in the tourney. These are neutral sites, everyone has the same amount of rest, the same stakes for all teams...and the Big 10 has the most teams left.

Actually, all they have done is play up to expectations. Nothing to see here move along. They are what everyone thought they were and that is the 5th best conf. They have some decent teams, but is mostly made up of really crap teams.

Minnesota didn't even deserve to be in the tournament. And no one has yet really played above their seed, have they? Wisc. exit early, brown-nuts exit early. MSU wins their toss up in overtime. as of right now, they are looking right about where they were expected to be. Purdue should have lost to the 4th best team in the big XII. They if healthy, I still don't think Purdue or OSU are better than KU, KSU, or Baylor.

The only conference that has proven to be anything but what they were thought to be is the severly over rated big east. And the MVC has shown that maybe Whichta state shoulda been given a shot over the minn's, fla's, marquette's, and ND's of the world. Would have liked to have seen, Dayton, and Rhode Island in too, but can't talk to much about that.

**keepngoal** · 03-26-2010, 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by mikeiastat

Actually, all they have done is play up to expectations. Nothing to see here move along. They are what everyone thought they were and that is the 5th best conf. They have some decent teams, but is mostly made up of really crap teams.

Minnesota didn't even deserve to be in the tournament. And no one has yet really played above their seed, have they? Wisc. exit early, brown-nuts exit early. MSU wins their toss up in overtime. as of right now, they are looking right about where they were expected to be. Purdue should have lost to the 4th best team in the big XII. They if healthy, I still don't think Purdue or OSU are better than KU, KSU, or Baylor.

The only conference that has proven to be anything but what they were thought to be is the severly over rated big east. And the MVC has shown that maybe Whichta state shoulda been given a shot over the minn's, fla's, marquette's, and ND's of the world. Would have liked to have seen, Dayton, and Rhode Island in too, but can't talk to much about that.

great post.... and I agree.

**mikeiastat** · 03-26-2010, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by Tornado man

If people would strip away their anti-Big 10 bias, they would acknowledge that the Big 10 has been very impressive in the tourney. These are neutral sites, everyone has the same amount of rest, the same stakes for all teams...and the Big 10 has the most teams left.

If you take that narrow of a view, then lets just say that the best conf. is the one with the national champion. Since in the end they are the ones with the most teams alive. Really, a silly way of looking at it. If OSU, MSU, and Purdue all lose tonight, they will not be passing kansas in the polls.

Most likely Kansas remains in the top 5 or very near no matter what happens. Then throw in Baylor and KState probably in the top 10 if not in the top five. Its pretty silly to say that any conference but the Big XII is the toughest by most any reasonable measure.

Not a single off week in the big XII. The big ten has teams that aren't even close to the top half of all of division 1. The big XII doesn't have a single team outside of the rpi top 150.Purdue should have been undefeated in the Big 11 if they were even close to the #1 team in the country. Even before the injury didn't they have a loss or 2?

**keepngoal** · 03-26-2010, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by mikeiastat

If you take that narrow of a view, then lets just say that the best conf. is the one with the national champion. Since in the end they are the ones with the most teams alive. Really, a silly way of looking at it. If OSU, MSU, and Purdue all lose tonight, they will not be passing kansas in the polls.

Most likely Kansas remains in the top 5 or very near no matter what happens. Then throw in Baylor and KState probably in the top 10 if not in the top five. Its pretty silly to say that any conference but the Big XII is the toughest by most any reasonable measure.

Not a single off week in the big XII. The big ten has teams that aren't even close to the top half of all of division 1. The big XII doesn't have a single team outside of the rpi top 150.Purdue should have been undefeated in the Big 11 if they were even close to the #1 team in the country. Even before the injury didn't they have a loss or 2?

I agree.... you must take many things into account after the tourney is done.

win %, score for, score against, teams in the tourney, 16 and elite 8 numbers, head to heads and seeds beat.

put it all together and the SEC and Big12 lead the pack... with the Big 10 able to make a mild splash to spoil the party

**mikeiastat** · 03-26-2010, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by SouthernClone06

No, I think it's shown that the top half of the league can play with anybody. The problem is, the bottom half is pretty awful.

Actually, no they haven't. The top 1/3 of the league has shown that they don't suck. They have shown that a one of them can play with some DECENT competition. Theose 4 big ten teams haven't shown much. Purdue got trounced, Wisc, exits early, OSU exits early, and MSU, has done what they have always done. The only team in the group to exceed expectations is MSU.

They (MSU) still in the grand scheme of things had a pretty stacked deck. Matchups were good for them, but they did take care of business. If they don't go all the way, I don't see them jumping KU. Reguardless. one team getting hot doesn't make up for a generally terrible conference.

**mikeiastat** · 03-26-2010, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by Tornado man

I don't know that KU is the best team in the country - but I agree that KU would beat UNI 9 times out of ten.
My point is that this reasoning is used on this board to defend Big 12 teams, but when a Georgetown loses to Ohio, or Villanova loses to St. Mary's, all I read is how those teams are overrated...

The problem is the consistancy that the big east underperfomed. When there is that much data supporting a notion, you have to at least give it some credit. Plus there are plenty of reasons to show that the Big east was over rated. They play an un ballanced schedule and many like to avoid tough games in the non-conf. most of the big XII got after it in the non-conf. The big east had their lower tier teams rack up wins against rpi 200+ and then the top looks good pounding on those fat teams.

The Big ten looks to be about what everyone thought they were, and so is the BIG XII. The thing is, the Big XII is so deep and solid that it completely destroys the big ten in the overall, even if MSU takes the NC. Show me some reaonable data that shows any conf is even equal to the Big XII. and I can give you 5 why you are wrong.

**keepngoal** · 03-27-2010, 08:03 AM

through last night:

Big 12
record: 9-5 (.642)
average seed played: 9.3
score for: 73.7
score against: 69.7
teams in the tourney: 7
Sweet16 teams: 2
Elite8 teams: 2

Big 10:
record: 8-4 (.667)
average seed played: 9.0
score for: 64.5
score against: 65.9
teams in the tourney: 5
sweet 16 teams: 3
elite 8 teams: 1

**Clones85'** · 03-27-2010, 09:28 AM

Southernhawk is crazy if he thinks anyone in the Big 10 was better than Kansas this season.

**UNIGuy4Cy** · 03-27-2010, 09:43 AM

Does anyone think West Virginia will make it to the Final Four? I wonder what the big wigs of the Big East have to say about their conference now? I know ESPN has almost been in tears.