TEXAS, USA — As March Madness starts to creep on the horizon, it is clear that the men's college basketball landscape is dominated by one conference far above the others: the Big 12.
The Big 12 Conference has over half its field in the AP Top 25. Six of the 10 teams in the conference are ranked.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi regularly updates his 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracketology, and as of this writing, one-third of the 1 through 3 seeds within the four regions of the NCAA tournament are from the Big 12 (four of those 12 spots). No other conference has more than two teams in that same classification.
Here is a breakdown of where the Big 12 stacks up compared to the rest of the country:
- No. 3 Kansas – 23-5 overall (13-1 conference) – Projected No. 1 seed
- No. 8 Texas – 22-6 overall (16-1 conference) – Projected No. 2 seed
- No. 9 Baylor – 20-8 overall (13-2 conference) – Projected No. 3 seed
- No. 14 Kansas State – 21-7 overall (15-1 conference) – Projected No. 2 seed
- No. 23 Iowa State – 17-10 overall (13-1 conference) – Projected No. 4 seed
- No. 24 TCU – 18-10 overall (12-4 conference) – Projected No. 6 seed
SEC:
- No. 2 Alabama – 24-4 overall (13-0 conference) – Projected No. 1 seed
- No. 11 Tennessee – 20-8 overall (12-2 conference) – Projected No. 3 seed
- No. 25 Texas A&M – 21-7 overall (14-1 conference) – Projected No. 6 seed
Big Ten:
- No. 5 Purdue – 24-4 overall (13-1 conference) – Projected No. 1 seed
- No. 17 Indiana – 19-9 overall (14-1 conference) – Projected No. 5 seed
- No. 21 Northwestern – 20-8 overall (13-4 conference) – Projected No. 6 seed
Pac-12:
- No. 4 UCLA – 24-4 overall (15-0 conference) – Projected No. 2 seed
- No. 7 Arizona – 24-4 overall (15-1 conference) – Projected No. 2 seed
Big East:
- No. 10 Marquette – 22-6 overall (14-1 conference) – Projected No. 3 seed
- No. 16 Xavier – 20-8 overall (14-2 conference) – Projected No. 5 seed
- No. 18 UConn – 21-7 overall (14-2 conference) – Projected No. 4
- No. 19 Creighton – 18-10 overall (12-2 conference) – Projected No. 5 seed
- No. 20 Providence – 20-8 overall (15-0 conference) – Projected No. 7 seed
ACC:
- No. 6 Virginia – 21-5 overall (13-1 conference) – Projected No. 4 seed
- No. 13 Miami (FL) – 23-5 overall (15-0 conference) – Projected No. 4 seed
WCC:
- No. 12 Gonzaga – 24-5 overall (13-1 conference) – Projected No. 3 seed
- No. 15 St. Mary's – 25-5 overall (16-2 conference) – Projected No. 5 seed
AAC:
- No. 1 Houston – 26-2 overall (15-2 conference) – Projected No. 1 seed
MWC:
- No. 22 San Diego St. – 22-5 overall (14-1 conference) – Projected No. 6 seed
And if you take into account all Texas-based teams, it adds two more ranked squads. The rankings are bookended by No. 1 Houston and No. 25 Texas A&M.
The top-ranked Cougars will be joining the Big 12 in 2023, and Texas isn't expected to leave the Big 12 for the SEC until 2024. So, the Big 12 should be even more competitive next season before the Longhorns depart.
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