Conference Comparison

You're going to hear a lot of talk this week about which conference is the best. Obviously I am partial to the Big East and also dislike the Big Ten due to living in the midwest for most of my life, but you can judge for yourself.

Pomeroy Rankings-

Teams in the Top 10-
ACC- 2
Big East- 3
Big Ten- 0

Teams in the Top 25-
ACC- 4
Big East- 8
Big Ten- 3

Discussion over. Pomeroy ranks the ACC tops due to its strength at the bottom (all twelve teams are in the top 100) with the Pac 10 second (similar story, with 9 teams in the top 50 and 3 in the top 25). I can live with that. DePaul is awful with South Florida and Rutgers just a touch better, but the Big East has sixteen teams.

Average Rankings of the Top Ten Teams-
ACC- 38.3
Big East- 22.3 (nine in the top 35, then #76 Providence)
Big Ten- 45

This is a good comparison. Eliminate the cupcakes of each league (Virginia/Georgia Tech, the Big East bottom four, and Indiana), and see the true talent in each conference. It's not a competition.

I'm sick of hearing Big Ten homers put as many as eight teams in the Tournament. Only four are truly deserving. The rest would be eaten alive by the seven Big East locks. Heck, I'd put my money on Georgetown or ND (well, maybe not the Irish) against Ohio State or Northwestern on a neutral court right now. Michigan or Northwestern? It wouldn't be competitive.

That's not to say Notre Dame or the Hoyas are worthy of a tournament bid right now. Of course they aren't. However, considering the Big Ten for more than four bids is pure silliness. Watching the Big Ten Tournament this week will make you nauseous. Talking heads like Brent Musberger will try to convince you that the trash produced by Big Ten offenses is a product of great defense. Let's see if that's true.

Average Defensive Rankings of the Top Ten Teams-
ACC- 59.3
Big East- 43.2
Big Ten- 52.8

Teams With Top 25 (Top 10) Defenses-
ACC- 4 (1)
Big East- 4 (3)
Big Ten- 4 (3)

Average Offensive Rankings of the Top Ten Teams-
ACC- 40.2
Big East- 19.2
Big Ten- 57.6

Not even close.