Let’s rank the best conferences in men’s college basketball.
The best conference in men’s college basketball seems to change from year-to-year. The “old Big East” was dominant until realignment broke apart the league in 2013. The Big 12 is always good and often great. The SEC was considered a joke for years before morphing into by far the strongest conference last season thanks to an influx of NIL money. The Big Ten hasn’t won a national championship since 2000 Michigan State, but they’ve had plenty of memorable Final Four teams since.
NCAA tournament performance is often used to evaluate how strong each conference is, but relying solely on that feels like cherry picking. There are some good metrics to capture conference strength out there on KenPom (determined by the net-rating of team expected to go .500 in league play) and BartTorvik, and those helped inform our own rankings.
With March finally here, let’s rank the best conferences in men’s college basketball for the 2025-26 season. There’s 31 conference in men’s college hoops, but we’ll be focusing on the top-15.
15. WAC
Regular season winner: Utah Valley
Challengers for the auto-bid: Cal Baptist
Utah Valley crushed the league this year, and their head coach Todd Phillips could be in for a much bigger job in this coaching cycle. The Wolverines lock down on defense (No. 54 in DI) by forcing a ton of turnovers (21.8 percent, No. 8 in DI) and clogging the paint. Opponents shoot just 46.4 percent inside the arc against them, which ranks No. 21 in the country. Sophomore forward Jackson Holcombe loves to get into the passing lanes in particular, and he might be the best player in the conference. Cal Baptist’s defense is also awesome, but it’s hard to trust their offense. The Lancers rank No. 349 in the country in effective field goal percentage. Ultimately, I’m dinging this conference a little bit because it’s only seven teams, and four of them are departing after this year as a new influx of teams joins the league. Utah Valley is my pick for the auto-bid.
14. CAA
Regular season leader: UNC Wilmington
Challengers for the auto-bid: Hofstra, Charleston, Monmouth, Drexel
UNC Wilmington made the NCAA tournament last year, but their offense isn’t quite as good this season, dropping from No. 85 to No. 105. Hofstra had two legit wins by beating Pitt and Syracuse, and took a very good UCF team down to the wire in a four-point loss. They would be my pick to earn the auto-bid. I like Charleston as a potential sleeper. Northeastern and North Carolina A&T are the punching bags in this conference.
13. Ivy League
Regular season leader: Yale
Challengers for the auto-bid: Harvard, Penn
Yale is a heavy favorite with a 10-3 conference record and a win over a good MAC team in Akron. The Bulldogs enter the week with the No. 42 offense according to KenPom, but the defense is only No. 200. Nick Townsend should be the player of the year in the league as a 240-pound senior forward who strokes 48 percent of his threes.
12. Conference USA
Regular season winner: Liberty
Challengers for the auto-bid: Sam Houston State, Western Kentucky
Liberty beat Dayton earlier this year, and started 15-0 in conference. They have the C-USA Player of the Year in Zach Cleveland, a playmaking big man who crushes the glass and offers some rim protection. Sam Houston St. is a legit challenger if a poor Liberty defense falls apart when it matters.
11. Big West
Regular season leader: Hawaii
Challengers for the auto-bid: UC Irvine, UC San Diego, CSUN
I love Cal State Northridge for playing at the nation’s No. 2 tempo, but they’re just not solid enough on either side of the floor to predict a surprising auto-bid. Give me the Anteaters of UC Irvine, blessed with the nation’s No. 22 overall defense, to make their first tournament appearance since 2019. Hawaii is good, but the offense is a little questionable around legit 7-footer in Isaac Johnson, who feels like the best player in the conference.
10. AAC
Regular season winner: South Florida
Challengers for the auto-bid: Tulsa, Wichita State
South Florida has the best win in the conference by knocking off an awesome Utah State team, and they also have the best balance in the AAC with the No. 61 overall offense and No. 48 defense. Former Arkansas wing Joseph Pinion is the a sniper on the outside, and Izaiyah Nelson is a productive two-way big at 6’10. South Florida beat Tulsa twice during the regular season, and I’d bet on another matchup happening in the conference tournament.
9. Missouri Valley
Regular season winner: Belmont
Challengers for the auto-bid: Bradley, Illinois State, Murray State, UIC
Arch Madness is always one of the best conference tournaments, and this one should be no different. Belmont ran away with the league, and sophomore big man Drew Scharnowski is turning into a true mid-major star. The best player in the conference resides on Bradley with sophomore guard Jaquan Johnson. Johnson is a 40 percent three-point shooter who gets tons of steals and doesn’t turn the ball over. Belmont will be challenged, but I still like them to earn the auto-bid.
8. Atlantic 10
Regular season winner: St. Louis
Challengers for the auto-bid: VCU, Dayton, St. Joe’s
The A-10 has three top-75 teams on KenPom with St. Louis, VCU, and Dayton. The Billikens have been ranked in the polls entering March with a deadly five-out attack around center Robbie Avilia. St. Louis’ 41.4 percent mark from three-point range is the best in the country, and they also hold their opponents to just 28.9 percent shooting from three. This team should be good enough for an at-large bid even if they lose in the conference tournament. VCU is also really good with sophomore guard Terrence Hill leading the way. America needs the Billikens in the field of 68. I named them a Final Four sleeper months ago, and I’m sticking with it.
7. West Coast Conference
Regular season winner: Gonzaga and St. Mary’s tied
Challengers for the auto-bid: Santa Clara
Gonzaga vs. St. Mary’s in men’s basketball is one of the best rivalries in all of college sports. This year a third team has entered the mix in Santa Clara. Santa Clara has a breakout freshmen stud in Allen Graves who is tracking as a first-round NBA draft pick, and a dominant rim finisher in Bukky Oboye, who shoots 77.5 percent from two-point range. An injury to Gonzaga’s Braden Huff opens up the conference tournament, and it’s hard to pick against St. Mary’s. Randy Bennett’s team is solid on both ends of the floor with a pair of stars in Mikey Lewis and Paulius Murauskas. With three legit contenders, this will be a conference tournament to watch.
6. Mountain West Conference
Regular season winner: Utah State
Challengers for the auto-bid: San Diego State, Grand Canyon, New Mexico
Utah State has a top-20 offense nationally in head coach Jarrod Calhoun’s second season since coming over from Youngstown State. The wing combo of Mason Falslev and MJ Collins is fantastic, and this team is also no pushover on defense with a top-45 unit. San Diego State will be a serious challenger with another typically awesome defense under Brian Dutcher that ranks No. 17 in the country, led by all-world wing defender Myles Byrd. There’s a nice group of challengers here, but Utah State feels a cut above the rest.
5. Big East Conference
Regular season winner: UConn and St. John’s tie
Challengers for the auto-bid: Villanova
This has not been a strong year for the Big East, but it’s still hard to rank them lower than this. UConn and St. John’s have run away with the league, and there hasn’t been much depth the entire season given a horribly down year for a typically strong Marquette program. DePaul is somehow the No. 5 seed despite being two games under .500! UConn is often listed as a tier-two contender for the national championship, but they would be the weakest No. 1 seed by far if they get it. I like St. John’s because their defense is still very strong and they have more shooting than last year. Villanova feels like a first-round exit team to me in the big dance.
4. ACC
Regular season winner: Duke
Challengers for the auto-bid: Virginia, Louisville, North Carolina, Miami (FL)
How much better is the ACC than last season? A year ago, the conference had a 9.1 net-rating for an average team. This season, it’s at 15.1. Duke is a tier one natty favorite after beating Michigan in the marquee matchup of the season, and Cam Boozer is the player in college basketball. Caleb Wilson’s broken hand is such a bummer, because it likely takes one of the game’s most exciting players out of the NCAA tournament, and also hurts the ACC’s chances at another potential Final Four team. I still like the upside on Louisville, but the defense is disappointing and Mikel Brown Jr.‘s back keeps acting up. Miami is the best story in the conference in their first season under Jai Lucas. Duke still reigns supreme, but shout-out to the ACC for the overall improvement.
3. SEC
Regular season winner: Florida
Challengers for the auto-bid: Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee
Last year’s SEC was clearly the best conference in college basketball, sending a record 14 teams to the NCAA tournament. This year’s league isn’t quite as good, dropping from a +22 to +19 net-rating for an average team in the league. Florida started off slow as the defending champs tried to integrate an all-new backcourt, but now they’re starting to look like a legit threat to go back-to-back. Florida’s front court is so dominant that they’re the only pick in this league. Alabama’s combination of a math-ball offense and superstar point guard in Labaron Philon makes them a threat to go on a run, and Arkansas is so fun to watch with freshman guard Darius Acuff at the controls, but their defense isn’t good enough. Ultimately, the SEC only has one truly great team this year, and that’s the Gators.
2. Big 12
Regular season winner: Arizona
Challengers for the auto-bid: Texas Tech, Houston, BYU, Iowa State, Kansas
The Big 12 is loaded with an elite Arizona team sitting at the top of the conference. The Wildcats have realistic dreams of winning it all with a huge lineup and lockdown defense thanks to the killer rim protection of Motiejus Krivas in the middle. Arizona’s Achilles heel is their outside shooting, and that gives another team an opening. It sucks that two of the conference’s best players are out for the year with injuries in Texas Tech’s JT Toppin and BYU’s Richie Saunders. Star freshmen AJ Dybantsa, Kingston Flemings, and Darryn Peterson are all must-see TV … at least when Peterson isn’t pulling himself out of games with cramps. Iowa State has never made the Final Four, and this might be their best chance with excellent continuity and more balance than it usually has. Anything less than a Final Four will be a big bummer for Arizona.
1. Big Ten
Regular season winner: Michigan
Challengers for the auto-bid: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State, Nebraska
This feels like the Big Ten’s best chance in a long time to break its championship drought, and that speaks solely to the power of Michigan. The Wolverines look like an all-time team at their best with a loaded front court featuring three first-round NBA picks in Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Morez Johnson. The guard play can get a bit erratic, but Elliott Cadeau’s improved shooting and always fantastic passing chops have gotten the job done so far. Losing backup point guard LJ Cason to a season-ending injury is a real blow, but the Wolverines should still be the most popular pick to win the bracket. I also think Illinois can be a legit Final Four threat, just wish they forced more turnovers on the defensive end. Purdue has been playing terribly lately, but I’ll still take Braden Smith in March. Nebrasketball is one of the best stories in America, and March Madness will be the ultimate test on if the Cornhuskers are a fluke. This is the best conference in the country to me because Michigan is such a powerhouse, Illinois and Purdue could theoretically win a regional, and the depth is better than it’s been in most years.
Category: General Sports
