Conference vs Conference

Is the Southeastern Conference really that good?  Is the Atlantic Coast Conference worthy of having 7 teams in the NCAA tournament?  How about the Missouri Valley Conference with Southern Illinois, Creighton and Missouri State?  Well, according to Real Time RPI, these conferences are among the best in the country because of their team's average RPI and Strength-of-Schedule. However, as we saw last year, the ACC and Big East teams play a decidely different type of basketball then some of the other leagues. Some leagues are tinted more toward defense, while others are very offensive minded. It's very difficult to say how things will play out against teams from different leagues.

A few examples among the top teams...

UCLA - lost 3 of 4 games in conference; beat Big 10, Big 12 and SEC teams

North Carolina - lost to West Coast Conference (Gonzaga)

Ohio State - lost to ACC and SEC teams

Florida - lost to Big 12 (Kansas) early in season

Duke - did not play real high profile teams out of conference

Pittsburgh - lost to Big 10 and Big 12

Georgetown - lost to Pac 10 and ACC

Wisconsin - handled Big East and SEC teams well

Maryland - managed to beat Big 10 teams well

Kentucky - beat up by quality teams from Pac 10, CUSA and ACC

Overall, I think the Big 10 is weak.  The Big 12 is better then their average RPI due to level of competition in league play.  Personally, I think the Pac 10 may be the best conference in the country. I have a hard time taking the Missouri Valley Conference seriously.