Conference Power Rankings: Horizon League

The Horizon League is often a one-bid league but they sure have been successful pulling off upsets.  Look no further than Butler's two straight trips to the NCAA Championship game for proof.  This year isn't likely to have the same fairy tale ending but it will be interesting to see who draws the Horizon League rep in the first round of this year's tournament.

Ronald Nored's free throw percentage (37%) should
tell you all you need to know about Butler's chances
of getting back to the Final Four this year.

1. Wisconsin-Milwaukee 13-6 (6-1) - The loss at Butler is understandable but the Jan 3 loss to Western Michigan means they'll have to win the conference tourney if they want to participate in March.  Sunday's matchup with Cleveland St. is huge.
2. Cleveland St. 15-4 (5-2) - Cleveland St. has the best chance of an at-large bid in the conference thanks to wins over Vanderbilt, Kent St., and Akron.  Their loss at Youngstown St. really stings and may be the one that ends up costing them the regular season title.
3. Valparaiso 12-7 (5-2) - Has it really been fourteen years since Bryce Drew hit a three at the buzzer to upset Ole Miss in the NCAA Tournament?* The home wins over Green Bay and Cleveland St. are nice but there are too many issues on defense to consider them the conference favorite.
4. Butler 10-9 (4-3) - Right when I was starting to take them seriously they drop a must-win to Detroit and then lose at home to Cleveland St.  There is no magic this year which makes me sad.
5. Youngstown St. 9-8 (4-3) - The Penguins (great nickname) won three in a row to put themselves in first place but now have lost two straight. They're 5-1 at home this year.
6. Detroit 9-11 (3-5) - Lost a squeaker to Valpo then upset Butler and won in Green Bay. They're playing better now than they have all season.  This team will be a handful in the conference tournament.
7. Wright St. 9-11 (4-4) - Nearly pulled an upset of Butler and then did upset Valpo only to lose their next two games in the state of Wisconsin.  This team is so up and down I don't know which direction they're heading.
8. Wisconsin-Green Bay 7-10 (3-5) - Green Bay's first two conference games came in the first week of December (they won both) but they didn't play their third until Dec 29.  After losing four straight they managed to finally get back on the right track when they defeated Wright St. Saturday.
9. Illinois-Chicago 6-11 (2-5) - Remember when UIC upset Illinois last year?  
10. Loyola 5-12 (0-7) - Last year Loyola was respectable though that now seems an aberration.  This team is clearly the worst in the conference and the only game I can see them being favored in is their home match against UIC in February.

*Editor's note: People often forget Valpo also beat Florida St. in the next round to advance to the Sweet 16.  Definitely one of the most unsuspecting Cinderellas ever.

Conference Power Rankings: ACC

And now back to the Power Rankings series.
The ACC is typically one of the best conferences in college basketball with North Carolina and Duke consistently considered contenders as the best team.  In the last couple of years, however, the ACC has begun to slip.  This was first noticed when they lost the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the first time in 2009 after winning it ten straight years. After three straight losses and a season in which it's likely to have more teams on the bubble than as locks come March, it's apparent to most fans this conference ain't what it used to be.  Now, this doesn't mean the ACC is a bad conference, just until some of the other schools like Maryland, Wake Forest, and N.C. State regain the success they had in the 80's, 90's, and 2000's the conference will not be considered elite.

Mike Scott has led the Cavaliers to a 14-2 start making
them perhaps the most surprising team in the country and
with rekindled hopes of an NCAA bid.

1. Duke 15-2 (3-0) -  I don't think Duke is the best team but right now they have the best profile; when you're undefeated you sit at the top. Close wins over Georgia Tech and Virginia are still wins. 
2. North Carolina 15-3 (2-1) - The Tar Heels  road woes continue - UNC is 12-0 at home, 2-0 on a neutral floor, but just 1-3 on the road.  
3. Florida St. 11-6 (2-1) - Statement wins are nice and Saturday's 90-57 win over North Carolina was just that.  The only thing FSU is lacking is consistency.  If they can put together a nice little streak of wins they'll be taken seriously.
4. Virginia 14-2 (1-1) - Virginia started off 13-1 and has really played well lately. They'll likely be favored in their next five games putting them at 19-2 which would really open a lot of people's eyes.
5. North Carolina St. 13-5 (2-1) - They beat Maryland then dropped a silly one at home to the Yellow Jackets. Following up that win with a 36 point shellacking of Wake Forest keeps them in the top five.
6. Maryland 12-4 (2-1) - What do you know, Maryland is 9-1 in their last ten games. The level of difficulty is about to increase significantly with FSU, Temple, and Duke the next three games. Let's see what happens.
7. Georgia Tech 8-9 (1-2) - GT doesn't have to play Duke, UNC, FSU, or Virginia twice this year. There is a chance for a fifth place finish and a solid NIT bid.
8. Miami 9-6 (0-2) - There's still time to right the ship. With North Carolina and Virginia out of the way, Miami's next five games are all winnable. 
9. Boston College 7-10 (2-1) - The win over Clemson was a bit of a surprise.  This team isn't as bad as many thought though losses to Holy Cross and Boston gave cause for people to see the worst in them.
10. Clemson 9-8 (1-2) - The loss at Boston College may say more about this team than the close loss to Duke. The Tigers play decent defense but they seem to struggle getting to the free throw line and their best players aren't good foul shooters anyway. That makes winning close games even tougher.
11. Wake Forest 10-7 (1-2) - Slowly but surely the Demon Deacons are climbing out of the cellar.  This is a team that went 1-15 in ACC play last season.  They've already got their win so perhaps they can double last season's total?
12. Virginia Tech 11-6 (0-3) - It wasn't supposed to be like this.  Losing to BC and Wake is inexcusable and with the next two against UNC and at Virginia it's about to get worse.

Conference Power Rankings: Mid-American Conference

Wally Szczerbiak is no longer here to help provide
excitement for MAC fans in March.  Luckily Ohio is having
some fans talk of an at-large bid thanks to a hot start.

In the 1990's the MAC was one of the best mid-major conferences often sending multiple schools to the NCAA Tournament. In the last decade they've been passed by the MVC, WCC, and arguably the Colonial, too.  In fact the conference hasn't earned multiple bids since 1999 when Kent St. (11) and Miami (10) - who had All-American Wally Szczerbiak - each qualified. I'm not trying to pile on but in the past ten NCAA Tournaments (2002-2011) the conference has gone 5-10 with three of those wins coming from Kent St. in 2002.

Unfortunately I've been unable to catch any MAC games except for the Northern Illinois-Purdue tilt which was quite possibly the biggest mismatch I've ever seen between two Division I teams.  Follow this link to an accurate assessment by people who actually follow MAC basketball.

MAC Power Rankings

Conference Power Rankings: West Coast Conference

Have you ever been home late on a Saturday night and turned the channel over to ESPN2 or ESPNU and seen some college basketball being played in what looked to be a high school gym? Odds are you were watching a West Coast Conference game. The WCC is comprised of nine small private schools - most of which do not have football - with strong religious affiliations. Gonzaga is the most well known to the casual basketball fan. After all, they've made 13 straight NCAA Tournament appearances winning at least once in ten of those years.
Gonzaga's not the only school to make an NCAA appearance during this run, either.  Here's a quick rundown of who has qualified out of the WCC since 1999:

Year	Schools (seed)	Year	Schools (seed)
1999	Gonzaga (10)	2006	Gonzaga (3)
2000	Gonzaga (10), Pepperdine (11)	2007	Gonzaga (10)
2001	Gonzaga (12)	2008	Gonzaga (7), St. Mary's (10), San Diego (13)
2002	Gonzaga (6), Pepperdine (10)	2009	Gonzaga (4)
2003	Gonzaga (9), San Diego (13)	2010	Gonzaga (8), St. Mary's (10)
2004	Gonzaga (2)	2011	Gonzaga (11)
2005	Gonzaga (3), St. Mary's (10)

As the chart shows, six times in the past thirteen years the WCC has sent multiple schools to the Big Dance. Not bad for a mostly obscure conference relegated to playing Saturday night games on the little brother channels of the ESPN network.  Prior to this season the WCC was an eight-member conference but newcomer BYU (basketball only) adds some clout to the hardwood.  The WCC isn't as deep as the Mountain West but St. Mary's and Gonzaga present challenges just the same.  Last year the Cougars earned a three seed and while that's not going to happen this year it's not unreasonable to think that BYU makes this a three-bid league.  So the next time you're flipping through the channels in the middle of the night and you see a couple of WCC schools battling it out stay a while and take it in.  There's some pretty good basketball out there.

Kevin Pangos looks to lead Gonzaga to an incredible
14th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Now on to the Power Rankings:

1. St. Mary's 14-2 (3-0) - How impressive was St. Mary's victory over BYU?  According to kenpom.com, BYU still ranks 30th in the nation in defensive efficiency even after giving up 98 points to the Gaels. That's some offense.
2. Gonzaga 12-2 (2-0) - The Zags continue to prove that the road to a WCC conference crown goes through Spokane. A 39 point victory over Portland was a great way to start the conference season.
3. BYU 13-4 (2-1) - BYU got a reality check when they visited St. Mary's last week. The best win on their schedule is still Oregon so they'll need to beat one of the top dogs to secure an at-large berth.
4. Loyola Marymount 8-7 (1-1) - Loyola played BYU tough and has a couple of nice wins against UCLA and St. Louis but there is a clear divide between #3 and the rest of the conference.
5. Pepperdine 7-7 (1-2) - Pepperdine had people believing they could be a spoiler in the WCC until they lost by 29 to St. Mary's. Losing badly at Gonzaga may even hurt their chances of a CBI invite.
6. Santa Clara 8-6 (0-1) - Thursday night's loss was not the way the Broncos wanted to start the year. A trip to Spokane is next meaning Santa Clara is likely going to be staring 0-2 in the face. This team is better than that and I expect they'll get their act together and make a push for fourth place.
7. San Francisco 10-6 (0-2) - San Francisco continues to play nobody in the non-conference schedule which probably hurts them when they run into the likes of Gonzaga/St. Mary's/BYU.  They may be the fourth best team in the conference or the 8th best.  It's too early to really tell but 0-2 puts you closer to last than first.
8. San Diego 5-9 (0-2) - San Diego's best win to this point is Maine and only two of their losses are by single digits.
9. Portland 4-11 (1-1) - Portland has played a respectable schedule with few cupcakes but no real world beaters either.  With only three wins they're stuck in the basement though they're possibly better than San Diego.

Conference Power Rankings: Big East

It's no secret the Sportstemps are partial to the happenings in the Midwest and tend to neglect items that happen on the coasts.  While the watching games on the West Coast can be a bit inconvenient due to scheduling, East Coast games seem to be on whenever you're flipping through the channels.  The world's biggest sports network will pummel the average American with commercials advertising mediocre matchups just because they happen close to home.  Let Dick Vitale continue to praise the awesomeness of the ACC just because he was buds with Jimmy V and Dean Smith.  And let Doug Gottlieb continue to pretend he knows all just because.  That being said, there is some good basketball being played out east and just because we don't have a horse in the race doesn't mean we don't follow what's going on.
I've decided to take a break from the Big Ten this week and start a run-down of the major conferences to provide a quick overview of how each team is doing and where they stand in relation to their league-mates.  We'll start with one of ESPN's favorites: the Big East.

The Sportstemps agree there's good bball
in the Big East but regardless of what ESPN
would have you believe, DePaul, USF, and Rutgers still
remain members of the conference meaning the
Big East also contains the Big Least of roundball.

1. Syracuse 16-0 (3-0) - A perfect 15-0 record to go along with a more than convincing win over Seton Hall.  This is a team whose biggest road bump to an undefeated January will be a home match with Marquette.  

NCAA Conference Power Rankings: Final list of 2011

In January I'll begin doing the Power 16 and soon my NCAATournament predictions while continuing the mid-major rankings.  I've been asked to do another conference power ranking this month and I think now is a good time.  This way we can kind of see how all the conferences stack up with each other before conference play really swings into full gear.

Matt Carlino's transfer from UCLA has been a
revelation for BYU and the entire WCC.

1. Big Ten - The entire conference enjoyed non-conference play while picking up numerous quality wins including Kentucky and Duke.  Have eight or nine teams with legitimate NCAA Tournament aspirations while Ohio St. may be the best team in the country.  Non-conference record: 123-28.
2. Big 12 - There's only 10 teams in the Big 12 this year and with the losses of Nebraska and Colorado the conference as a whole is improved.  Kansas, Baylor, and Missouri look like potential Final Four teams.  Non-conferenc record: 91-24.

Preseason Conference Power Rankings

Obviously these rankings are compiled purely on my best guesses on what will happen during the season.  Once the games begin and we have some statistical evidence, my opinions will change. Basically, don’t put too much stock into these. Let the games begin!

1.       Big East - Every year this conference sends at least eight teams to the tournament. I expect that to hold true to form in 2012 with multiple teams vying for a 1 or 2 seed.

2.       Big 12 – No more Nebraska! No more Colorado! Really, these two schools weren’t that bad last year but they’re not tournament contenders either.  A ten team conference that sends five or six schools dancing plus a national title contender in Kansas make this conference look good.

3.       Big 10 – The BIG lost a lot of talent after last season but there are some great freshmen on campus.  Six teams will likely go dancing with the possibility of eight come March.

4.       SEC – Last year the SEC was just mediocre.  That’s partly due to it being young. Now Alabama is ranked, Kentucky seems poised to grab a 1 seed, and a few other schools look to join them in the Big Dance.  The divisions remain imbalanced so we’ll have to take it for it’s worth.

5.       Atlantic Coast – This is going to be a down year for the ACC.  Duke and North Carolina look good as usual but the bottom of this conference could be awful.  That’s never a good thing for your Strength of Schedule (SOS).

6.       Atlantic 10 – This conference isn’t really a power conference but it’s no mid-major either.  Xavier and Temple are two excellent programs who will make some noise this year. The middle of the conference appears average so expecting four bids again may be a stretch.

7.      Pac 12 – New additions Utah and Colorado won’t help this year.  This conference has been plagued by mediocrity of late and I’m not sure it’ll be any different in 2012.  Arizona is overrated in my mind while other contenders Washington, UCLA, and Cal all have big time flaws. The Pac12 is helped by its solid second tier.

8.       Missouri Valley – With the supposed reemergence of Creighton, the MVC appears to gaining steam as the top mid-major.  Also worth watching are Wichita St., Indiana St., and UNI.  This conference is always fun to watch; it’s kind of like the Big 10’s little brother in terms of style.

9.       West Coast – This is Gonzaga’s year!  I doubt that to be true but all the previews I’ve read expect a big improvement from last season. St. Mary’s remains very good, but the team that pushes this conference into the top ten is BYU.  That’s a very nice trio.

10.   Mountain West – New Mexico St. and UNLV appear to be the front-runners this year. No BYU will hurt the RPI but Colorado St. is improving and San Diego St. will still be good. Two bids is a safe bet and three won’t be a surprise.