Big 12 is small potatoes
To many, the selection of the NCAA basketball tournament field was a confirmation of the best basketball conference in the land. At least it was to Dallas Morning News sports columnist Kevin Blackistone who in his opening paragraph in the Monday edition wrote:
“We learned Sunday which college basketball conference is considered the best in America. The Big 12. Who said it was a football conference?”
In the words of long time football announcer and longer time idiot Lee Corso, not so fast my friend.
Blackistone was correct about one thing; the best basketball conference does typically get recognized for their prowess on the gridiron as opposed to the hardwood: the Southeastern Conference.
A close look at the numbers reveals this claim to be more than just a sweeping generalization but rather a dose of reality:
The computers rate the SEC as the best, the polls rate the SEC as the best, and finally to all of the people who say what happens on the floor matters the most, the head-to-head match-ups, say the SEC is the best.
I am sure Mr. Blackistone, like others, got all excited when he saw that the Big 12 was awarded two No. 1 seeds and a No. 2 seed in the tournament and simply jumped to a conclusion that the Big 12 is the best. Hopefully, this common misconception can finally be put to rest. The SEC is where real baskketball is played.
