College basketball conference rankings: Big 12 tops high-major hierarchy as Big East lags behind

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A year ago, the SEC ran away with the prize of top conference in college basketball by producing a whopping 14 NCAA Tournament teams. That remarkable Selection Sunday was made possible by a 59-19 record against teams from the other four high-major leagues. This time around, the league breakdown is far more even.

With the ACC rebounding from a down year and the SEC coming to Earth, the race for conference supremacy is a compelling one. The first couple of months have been unkind to the Big East, but the other four high-major conferences have enjoyed their share of bright moments.

Just one massive weekend of non conference college basketball action remains, and then we’ll turn the page entirely to league play. As such, the time is right to take stock of where things stand in the high-major conference hierarchy.

With the CBS Sports Classic on deck this weekend and several other compelling high-major matchups in store, here’s where things stand entering the final big weekend of action before the Christmas holiday.

1. Big 12

Why the Big 12 could be lower: If the season ended today, just seven of the Big 12’s 16 teams would make the NCAA Tournament, according to CBS Sports Bracketology.

Why No. 1 is right: The Big 12 boasts five of the top 14 teams in the NET and four of the top nine at KenPom. It currently has two No. 1 seeds in CBS Sports Bracketology and another three who are No. 4 seeds or better. Simply put, no conference is stronger at the top. If you’re looking for a league to produce the national champion, the Big 12 is your best bet, and that is backed up by the conference’s strong mark against other high-major leagues.

Record vs. other leagues

vs. ACC: 13-7
vs. Big East: 6-7
vs. Big Ten: 8-8
vs. SEC: 11-6
Overall: 38-28

Biggest surprise: UCF

UCF finished 15th of 16 Big 12 teams in our preseason ballot after 10th-year coach Johnny Dawkins replaced his entire roster from a 20-17 (7-13 Big 12) season. But the Knights have been better than expected during a start that includes double-digit victories over Texas A&M and Pitt. After shooting 33.8% from 3-point range last season, UCF ranks No. 28 nationally at 38.7% so far this season. The Knights are also feasting on the glass with 14.4 offensive rebounds per game. While the resume remains fairly light, the underlying metrics suggest UCF could make the NCAA Tournament. The Knights currently sit in the “First Four Out” of CBS Sports Bracketology. Projecting out to season’s end, our Bracketology model has the Knights in the eventual field of 68 as a No. 11 seed.

Biggest disappointment: Texas Tech

Texas Tech is 0-3 against teams currently ranked in the top 25, and coach Grant McCasland is not happy with his team’s defensive performance. Considering the Red Raiders rank No. 64 at KenPom in defensive efficiency, it’s easy to see why. For a team with Big 12 title and Final Four aspirations, that won’t cut it. A glaring lack of depth — due partially to injuries — and an abysmal 66.8% free-throw mark will also be tough to overcome. Junior star JT Toppin has been insanely productive, averaging 21.9 points, but he’s shooting a career-worst 45.5% from the stripe. The Red Raiders are still No. 19 in the AP poll and a No. 6 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology, but this ship is more rickety than expected.

2. Big Ten

Why the Big Ten could be higher: The Big Ten’s top tier of Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue are a combined 30-2 and arguably just as strong as the Big 12’s top tier. If you want to include 11-0 Nebraska in that group, then the case gets even stronger.

Why No. 2 is right: The Big Ten’s middle class feels hollow. Teams like Indiana, UCLA and Wisconsin are looking a bit bubbly, while Oregon is flopping entirely. The big steps you hoped to see from second-year coaches at Ohio State and Washington aren’t materializing yet. While Iowa and Illinois are propping up the conference as top-20 KenPom teams, both have flawed resumes and a lot to prove.

Record vs. other leagues

vs. ACC: 3-7
vs. Big 12: 8-8
vs. Big East: 10-5
vs. SEC: 8-6
Overall: 29-26

Biggest surprise: Nebraska

At 11-0 and No. 11 in the NET, Nebraska is clearly the Big Ten’s biggest surprise. The Cornhuskers would project as a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance if the season ended today, and our longterm CBS Sports Bracketology forecast projects the Cornhuskers to finish as a No. 4 seed. After missing all of last season following a knee surgery, big man Rienk Mast has returned with a vengeance, averaging 17.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game along with three assists. He is an offensive talent who scored 17 points in back-to-back Big Ten victories over Wisconsin to open league play last week. Iowa transfer Pryce Sanford is proving to be one of the nation’s top high-volume 3-point marksmen at 39.3% on 8.1 attempts per game.

Biggest disappointment: Oregon

With leading scorers Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad returning from a team that earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Oregon was expected to be among the Big Ten’s top squads. A poor bill of health has hampered the Ducks’ aspirations, but injuries alone don’t fully explain why this team is 0-5 against top-50 KenPom teams. All six of the Ducks’ victories have come against sub-180 KenPom teams, and a couple of those were uncomfortably close. Turnover woes and a team shooting percentage of 42.3%, which ranks No. 305 nationally, are among the issues. Oregon is off to an 0-2 start in Big Ten play and nowhere to be found in either the current or projected fields in our CBS Sports Bracketology. A win over Gonzaga on Sunday would alter the calculus, but nothing we’ve seen from this team so far suggests that’s possible.

3. SEC

Why the SEC could be higher: The SEC would have a projected 10 NCAA Tournament teams if the season ended now, which is a higher tally than any other conference. No one in the conference has suffered a Quad 4 loss.

Why No. 3 is right: The league is below .500 against the two conferences above it on the report card. While the SEC appears to be deep, it’s also noticeably light on high-end squads. Vanderbilt is the only SEC team in the top 15 of the NET or in the top 10 at KenPom. The Commodores would be the SEC’s only team better than a No. 4 seed in our CBS Sports Bracketology if the season ended today.

Record vs. other leagues

vs. ACC: 16-14 
vs. Big 12: 6-11
vs. Big East: 6-4
vs. Big Ten: 6-8
Overall: 34-37

Biggest surprise: Vanderbilt

Forecasting a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance for Vanderbilt was reasonable. But an 11-0 start backed up top-10 rankings at KenPom and in the NET? That’s certainly a surprise. In fact, the Commodores rank higher in both these important metrics than any team in the SEC. This squad is once again a bit lean on the interior, and that could prove troublesome over the course of an 18-game SEC grind. But the ‘Dores are elite offensively, averaging a whopping 20 assists per game behind a trio of guards — Duke Miles, Tyler Tanner and Frankie Collins — each of whom is averaging between 4-5 dimes per contest. Those three are also premier pickpockets who combine to average more than seven steals per game.

Biggest disappointment: Missouri

Kentucky is a close competitor, but at least the Wildcats challenged themselves and are a top-30 team in the NET and at KenPom. Missouri deserves to be blasted for playing the nation’s No. 361-ranked nonconference schedule, which includes nine teams ranked No. 220 or below at KenPom. A year ago, Mizzou got away with playing a soft schedule because the SEC was so strong that Tigers were a lock at 10-8 in Ieague play to reach the Big Dance. But even with stars Anthony Robinson and Mark Mitchell back from that team, Mizzou took the easy way out again. It could come back to bite them since the SEC isn’t as strong this season. With an 0-2 mark in their only two games against top-70 NET teams, Missouri would be way outside the NCAA Tournament picture if the season ended now.

4. ACC

Why the ACC could be higher: Rejuvenated by first-year coaching regimes at Virginia, NC State and Miami, the ACC is trending up after a down year. If the season ended today, the ACC would have nine NCAA Tournament teams, per CBS Sports Bracketology, including a No. 1 seed in Duke.

Why No. 4 is right: The case for a handful of those nine teams remains wobbly. With three teams outside the top 100 of the NET and another two trending dangerously close to that territory, the ACC is again going to be filled with resume-killing landmines. Our projected CBS Sports Bracketology suggests the ACC’s final tally of teams in the Big Dance will be seven. That would be a big step in the right direction, but the league still has some ground to make up on those above it.

Record vs. other leagues

vs. Big 12: 7-13
vs. Big East: 4-5
vs. Big Ten: 7-3
vs. SEC: 14-16
Overall: 32-37

Biggest surprise: Virginia

Other coaches have proven that turning a program around in one year is possible. However, it’s anything but a foregone conclusion that a new coach will step in with an entirely overhauled roster and produce immediate results. Through 10 games, Ryan Odom is doing it. Wins over Northwestern, Texas and Dayton provide solid evidence that the No. 23 Cavaliers are on their way back to the ACC’s upper quadrant after a 15-17 (8-12) gap year between Tony Bennett’s retirement and Odom’s arrival.  This team absolutely lights it up from beyond the arc, shooting 40% so far on the season. The Cavaliers also boast two of the league’s top rim protectors in Johann Grunloh and Ugonna Onyenso, who are both averaging nearly three blocks per game. If you can fill it up from deep and erase opponent’s attempts at the rim, you’ve got the building blocks of a potential Sweet 16 team.

Biggest disappointment: Georgia Tech

Expectations weren’t high to begin with, but Georgia Tech has fallen short of whatever modest hopes may have been have been thrust upon it before the season. The Yellow Jackets are wallowing at No. 189 in the NET with an 0-3 Quad 3 record and no victories outside of Quad 4. Among high-major teams, only Rutgers is lower. Despite playing KenPom’s No. 335 nonconference schedule, Tech has struggled to score. It is shooting just 43.8% from the floor and committing a whopping 13.5 turnovers per game. Most maddening, however, may be a 65% free-throw percentage. That ranks 337th nationally and suggests this team is sorely lacking players with even a baseline level of offensive skill.

5. Big East

Why the Big East could be higher: The Big East’s winning record against the ACC and Big 12 stands out. But with just one team in the top 20 of the NET and two in the top 30 at KenPom, it’s tough to argue the league should be slotted any higher.

Why No. 5 is right: Outside of UConn, the Big East’s premier brands are struggling. Creighton has fallen off a cliff after losing interior anchor Ryan Kalkbrenner, Villanova is resetting under first-year coach Kevin Willard and Georgetown is sitting at No. 111 in the NET under second-year coach Ed Cooley. Then there is Marquette, which is in a dark place. Even No. 22 St. John’s has been a bit underwhelming as it heads into a CBS Sports Classic showdown with Kentucky on Saturday.

Record vs. other leagues

vs. ACC: 5-4
vs. Big 12: 7-6
vs. Big Ten: 5-10
vs. SEC: 4-6
Overall: 21-26

Biggest surprise: Seton Hall

Seton Hall matched its 2024-25 win total before the end of November with a head-turning win over NC State. Since then, the Pirates have taken down Kansas State on the road and thrashed in-state rival Rutgers. Shaheen Holloway’s team isn’t dripping with elite talent, but it is playing ruthless defense and embodying the grit of its head coach. The Pirates rank in the top 10 nationally in both steals and blocks per game. No one is mistaking this for a great offensive team, but if you defend like Seton Hall, it can make up for a lot.

Biggest disappointment: Marquette

After four years as a model of consistency, Marquette is reeling in Year 5 under coach Shaka Smart. Senior guard Chase Ross is the only player with offensive juice, and even he has been struggling lately. Smart’s commitment to developing from within worked wonders in establishing the program’s identity and makes him a principled contrarian of the industry who is easy to root for. But this team could have benefitted from a couple of floor-raising transfer additions, especially in the scoring department. 

This news was originally published on this post .

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