The best conference in college basketball: Big 12, Big Ten, SEC all make case as ACC gains ground

The best conference in college basketball is more than a bragging right for fans at the water cooler, it is a datapoint which carries great weight in the rankings and bracketology comparisons between top seeds and bubble candidates. This season, the answer to the question is not quite black and white.

Last season, there was no room for debate. The SEC held the best teams in college basketball, the most national championship contenders, and a record number of NCAA Tournament bids. This season, there are a variety of cases which deliver different answers.

Read the most recent version of On3’s 2026 Bracketology here.

As the debate rages on, here is a guide to naming the best conference in college basketball during the 2025-26 season. Ultimately the NCAA Tournament results will also play a role, but for now the numbers from KenPom and the NET rankings provide the best case.

Big 12 case: True contenders

The Big 12 currently has six teams ranked inside the Top 14 spots of the AP Poll. Ask around and almost every program there has a real chance to make an NCAA Tournament run and lift the title. That kind of contender depth is rare to find across college basketball, and has set up some marquee matchups over the past month, with more to come in February and March.

With an undefeated Arizona team leading the way, No. 1 in both KenPom and The NET, the analytics back up the strong case of these Big 12 schools. BYU, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas and Texas Tech all join them in the Top 17 of both analytic models.

Despite that, the Big 12 ranks No. 2 in average NET ranking, with just seven teams in the most recent bracketology update. They also rank third at KenPom, which weighs the value of teams projected to finish above .500 in conference play. The disconnect is simple, a lack of depth. UCF is the only team outside the top tier projected in the field, with Baylor and TCU the only other teams seriously in the bubble conversation.

SEC case: Depth matters

The SEC makes nearly the inverse argument of the Big 12, with no inner-circle national championship contenders to speak of, but great depth according to any numbers. While they are not on pace for another historic output in NCAA Tournament teams, the conference’s worst is still pretty good.

The lowest ranked team at KenPom and the NET rankings is Mississippi State, which still sits at No. 95 and No. 106, respectively. In comparison, the lowest Big 12 team ranks 112/115 and the Big Ten’s worst sits at 160/168. The SEC’s average ranking in the NET is also 45.88 with the Big 12 at 49.75 and the Big Ten at 57.89.

While there are no downright bad teams in the conference, it is difficult in a sport which crowns a champion to argue strength without the top-end teams. The SEC saw just one team across the Top 16 overall seeds in the latest bracketology update with no teams across the 1, 2, or 3-seed lines. That simply does not compare with the best of the best in the Big 12 and Big Ten.

Big Ten case: Numbers rule

The Big Ten makes its own strong case for the best conference in college basketball, attempting to balance the traits which put the Big 12 and the Big Ten in the conversation. They bring their own inner-circle contenders to the table along with the NCAA Tournament depth needed to even the field.

The Big Ten currently has five teams inside the AP Poll’s Top 12, closing in on the strength the Big 12 has demonstrated with its top schools. It also has more schools projected inside the NCAA Tournament field with 10 in the latest bracketology projections.

That second tier of value is offset, however, by the lack of strength near the bottom of the conference. Maryland, Penn State and Rutgers all rank lower than the worst teams in the Big 12 and SEC across any analytic model. Whether the presence of a second-tier, stocked with real NCAA Tournament teams outweighs those easy games on the schedule is part of what makes the discussion over the strongest conference so difficult.

ACC case: Most improved

The ACC might not have reached the heights of the other three conferences mentioned so far this season, but they do deserve mention as the most improved year-over-year. After heavy investment in the head coaching ranks and in the transfer portal, many schools which were headed the wrong direction have entered the NCAA Tournament picture.

Ranked the fourth-best conference in college basketball by KenPom and the NET rankings, they do have Duke positioned well above any SEC opponent and in the mix with several Big 12 and Big Ten teams aiming for the No. 1 overall seed in bracketology.

Once firmly in the conversation as the best conference each season, it is a huge step in the right direction to see eight teams inside the Top 50 of both computer models. Perhaps, they could even see more total bids into the field than the Big 12 if things break right.