Big 12 has chance to prove it is country's best basketball conference

One of the complaints about the 2025 NCAA Tournament has been the lack of mid-major Cinderella stories. However, with every Sweet 16 team coming from one of the top four power conferences, there are some tremendous second-weekend matchups on tap over the next two days. As a result, we are about to find out which conference truly is the best basketball league in the country.

All season, the narrative has been that the SEC has been the best conference. While some of that has been pushed by ESPN, the loudest voice in sports and the network that is the SEC's primary broadcast partner, the rankings support that argument.

In the final A.P. poll before the start of the NCAA Tournament, seven SEC teams were ranked. That included four in the top ten. Thus, it seems that the voters have also bought into the narrative that the SEC is the top conference in America.

However, in the KenPom.com rankings, which are based solely on analytics, a different story emerges. Of the top-25 teams in that metric, there is more balance as eight SEC teams and six Big 12 teams are represented.

Of course, what matters most is how many teams are still alive. That's where the SEC has seven teams in the Sweet 16, while the Big 12 and the Big Ten have four. Naturally, that is as much of a product of the fact that the SEC was awarded 14 NCAA Tournament bids to just seven for the Big 12 and eight for the Big Ten. And as we know, NCAA tournament bids are as much a product of human bias and perception as anything else.

Still, the Big 12 has put the largest percentage of its entrants into the Sweet 16. According to John Daniels on X, 57% of the Big 12 teams that made the field are still alive, while 50% of the SEC and Big 10 teams are. Meanwhile, only 25% of the four ACC teams that earned a bid made the Sweet 16.

Therefore, conference superiority isn't a foregone conclusion. In fact, that's an argument that could be settled over the next four days.

The Big 12 has a huge opportunity to make waves in the Sweet 16

Tonight, the first Big 12 team to take the floor will be the No. 6 seed in the East Region, BYU. The Cougars are taking on No. 2 seed Alabama, an SEC powerhouse.

BYU enters the Sweet 16 on a roll. They have won 11 of their last 12 games, and they have two fantastic guards in Richie Saunders and Egor Demin playing at the top of their abilities.

Expect tons of points when these two teams meet. Both are putting up right around 81 points per game, and both want to push the pace and shoot plenty of 3s. ESPN.com's matchup predictor gives the Cougars a 35.2% chance of winning, so don't be shocked to see the Big 12 win this matchup with the SEC.

Another Big 12 newcomer that can make a huge statement tonight is Arizona. The No. 4 seed in the East will take on the No. 1 seed, Duke.

This will be a fascinating matchup tonight as the veteran and physical Wildcats will look to overpower a young but super-talented Blue Devil squad that starts three true freshmen. What's more, Arizona features a player who loves to stick it to Duke.

Senior guard, Caleb Love has spent plenty of time facing Duke in his career, given that he began his time as a collegiate at North Carolina. In nine career games against the Blue Devils, he's gone 5-4, but he's averaged 15 points per game, including three 20-point games and an 18-point game.

Certainly, Love would enjoy nothing more than to end the season of one of the most touted and talented Duke teams of the last 20 years. If he and the Wildcats can do that, it would also be a huge feather in the Big 12's cap.

Tomorrow, the Big 12's top team, Houston, will take on perennial Big Ten power Purdue. The No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, Houston, will essentially be playing a road game, though, playing less than an hour from the campus of the No. 4-seeded Boilermakers in Indianapolis.

Still, most expect the rugged Cougars to advance. In fact, ESPN gives Houston a 79.4% chance of coming out on top.

Of course, Tech can also help the Big 12's cause this weekend by taking down SEC member Arkansas. Then, the Red Raiders could meet one of the top SEC teams, No. 1 seed Florida, in the Elite Eight (if the Gators get past No. 4 seed Maryland).

Last year, the Big 12 entered the NCAA Tournament as the perceived best conference in America, only to disappoint by getting no teams to the Elite Eight. This year, the conference could conceivably comprise half of the Elite Eight, and if that happens, it will bring into question the idea that the SEC is by far the most dominant league in college basketball.