Don’t look now, but the NCAA Tournament is already 78 percent of the way over, as 52 of the 68 teams have been eliminated. With that in mind, it’s certainly not too early to look at how each conference has performed in the tournament. We know the Big Ten has dominated the tournament so far, but what about everyone else?
Let’s rank the conferences by performance as of now. Note that we only ranked multi-bid conferences.
1. Big Ten, 13-3, 6 teams remaining
With the Big Ten representing six of the final 16 teams remaining, they easily get
the top spot. Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State and Illinois were expected to still be here, but Nebraska and Iowa are both surprise participants in the Sweet Sixteen. Is this the year the Big Ten breaks the national championship drought?
2. SEC, 13-6, 4 teams remaining
The SEC put up a very respectable 13-6 record the first weekend of March Madness. Texas and Tennessee were not expected to have advanced as far as they have, but Florida’s early upset was a major stain on the SEC’s record this year. All four remaining SEC schools are underdogs in the Sweet Sixteen. How many, if any, can break through to the Elite Eight?
3. Big 12, 9-5, 3 teams remaining
The middle part of the Big 12’s NCAA Tournament contingent largely disappointed this year. However, the top three teams are all set up very well. Arizona could be the tournament favorite given Duke’s struggles. Houston saw Florida bow out early, leaving it as the favorite in the South. Lastly, Iowa State is shooting as hot as anyone. There’s a world where three Big 12 teams make the Final Four.
4. Big East, 4-1, 2 teams remaining
The Big East was wildly disappointing in the regular season, with just three teams making the tournament. However, two of those three are still playing, as UConn faces off with Michigan State and St. John’s gets a crack at Duke. As both teams are in the East, only one could possibly make the Final Four, but it’s still been a successful NCAA Tournament so far for the Big East.
5. Atlantic 10, 2-2, 0 teams remaining
The A-10 only got two teams in this year, but both won a game, with 9-seed Saint Louis knocking off 8-seed Georgia, and 11-seed VCU capping off the comeback over 6-seed North Carolina. Sadly, neither team made it past the Round of 32, as Michigan and Illinois quickly squashed their dreams. It was a down year in the A-10, but its showing in the tournament wasn’t disastrous.
6. ACC, 5-7, 1 team remaining
We now step into the disastrous category. The ACC imploded in the NCAA Tournament with only one of its eight representatives making it out of the first weekend. Even that one team, Duke, hasn’t exactly looked that great. Many knew this wasn’t a vintage ACC type of year during the regular season, but we may have underestimated how bad the conference was.
7. WCC, 1-3, 0 teams remaining
The West Coast Conference typically goes as Gonzaga goes, and that was no exception this year. Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara both lost in the first round, and 3-seed Gonzaga lost to 11-seed Texas in the Round of 32. For a program like Gonzaga, that’s incredibly disappointing. For a conference like the WCC, not having any teams in the Sweet Sixteen is also incredibly disappointing.
8. MAC, 1-2, 0 teams remaining
I do feel bad putting the Mid-American Conference here, as it isn’t normally a two-bid league. The MAC got two teams in this season, but neither team lasted long. Miami (OH) did win a First Four game before falling to 6-seed Tennessee in the Round of 64. Likewise, 12-seed Akron couldn’t get out of the first round and got blown out by No. 5-seed Texas Tech. Unlike the ACC and WCC above, we can still call this a successful season for the MAC.
