Power Ranking Each of the Division I College Basketball Conferences

Conference realignment has altered the face of college basketball, dictating the need for a power ranking of the new-look conferences for the 2012-'13 college basketball season.

While conference realignment is nowhere near finished, it is coming to a close, and the 2012-'13 college basketball conferences are as close to set as they can be.

The Big East has been the dominant conference in college basketball over the last several years, but it looks as though a power shift is in the cards as conference realignment is slowly depleting the once-feared conference.

With that, these are the power rankings of every conference in D-I college basketball.

*Note: The bottom 23 teams are ranked with some detail, while the top 10 come with expanded detail

No. 33-21

33. SWAC

The SWAC is so bad that they are actually ranked behind the few independents in D-I and behind the Great West, which is the only conference not to have an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. They are improving, but very slowly.

32. Independents

The very few independents in D-I have decent records, but since there are so few, they cannot be placed above any conferences other than the SWAC (most of whose teams should be playing in D-II).

31. Great West

The Great West doesn't even have an auto-bid to the NCAA tournament (otherwise N.J.I.T. would have been in the tournament last season), but they do have enough decent teams like Utah Valley to avoid being ranked last or behind the independents.

30. MEAC

Famous for having Norfolk State, who pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NCAA tournament history last year, the MEAC remains one of the worst conferences in D-I.

Unfortunately Norfolk State has lost its senior leadership in O'Quinn and Chris McEachin, but they do return soon-to-be-junior Pendarvis Williams, who dropped 20 against No. 2 Missouri.

29. Big South

UNC-Asheville has dominated the conference for years, and I see no reason why this trend won't continue in the 2012-'13 season.

28. Northeast

LIU Brooklyn won the conference regular season and tournament last year, and the team returns its top four scorers and six of its top seven. Look for the Blackbirds to be back in the Big Dance again this season.

27. Southland

Lamar coach Pat Knight made it to his first NCAA tournament as a head coach last season. It was his first year with Lamar, and he was more successful than he ever was at Texas Tech. Unfortunately, the team loses six seniors and will not be duplicating that success next season.

26. America East

Vermont made it to the NCAA tournament from this conference last year, and Stony Brook won the regular season crown. Boston is bringing in a Top 100 recruit in PG Maurice Watson, who ranks No. 91 (according to ESPN).

25. Big Sky

Montana and Weber State dominated last season, but with Weber State's Damian Lillard leaving for the NBA a year early, the team should fall down the rankings a bit. Montana returns its top three scorers, however, and should remain atop the standings.

24. Southern

This conference lives and dies with Davidson, and returning the team's top eight scorers will help the Wildcats keep the conference at a respectable level.

23. Big West

The Big West is chock full of potential Cinderellas who should be putting teams on upset alert. Remember Long Beach State from last season? Pittsburgh and Xavier certainly do.

22. Horizon

Losing Butler hurts, and having Brad Stevens' Bulldogs leave a year early is devastating for the conference. Now they're just another mid-major who no one is going to take seriously.

21. WAC

Fresno State, Utah and Nevada are all gone (and just when Fresno State landed Robert Upshaw too!), which leaves the WAC looking depleted and vulnerable. It's no wonder why they're falling down conference rankings.

No. 20-11

20. Ohio Valley

Having point guard and future NBA player Isaiah Canaan return, along with coach Steve Prohm, Murray State will be the talk of the Ohio Valley conference. Unfortunately, big man Ivan Aska has used all four years of his eligibility and will not be back next season.

The conference drops off after this potential Cinderella, which is why they are only No. 21 in the country.

19. Patriot League

There's this kid named C.J. McCollum who lit up Duke for 30 points in one of the biggest NCAA tournament upsets in history. He's back and is in line to fight for the title of D-I's leading scorer.

Look out for Lehigh, but don't sleep on Bucknell, who won the conference regular season and returns its top four scorers.

18. MAAC

Senior Scott Machado is gone from Iona. The team did very well last season behind its star point guard but is now going to be passed by other teams in the conference, such as Loyola (MD), who won the conference tournament last season and returns its top four scorers.

17. Atlantic Sun

Belmont dominated last season, but the Bruins lose three of their top five scorers. Granted that the other two were their best scorers, but this conference now seems more open than it was last season.

16. Sun Belt

Middle Tennessee won the regular season conference crown last season and returns eight of its top nine scorers. Arkansas-Little Rock won the conference tournament and returns two of its top three scorers and five of its top seven. The entire conference looks better this season and should be taken seriously.

15. Summit League

The Summit League was repped by Nate Wolters' South Dakota State in last year's NCAA tourney, and the team returns every player from last season except for Griffan Callahan, who was the team's third-leading scorer.

The same cannot be said for Oral Roberts, who won the regular season title, but the Summit League still has the potential for a few big upsets.

14. MAC

The MAC seems to always have an upset somewhere. Last year it was Ohio U making it to the Sweet 16 before losing a close game against No. 1 North Carolina. I can't pick which team will pull off the upset, but I can guarantee that the MAC has reason to be feared in March.

13. Ivy League

Tommy Amaker led Harvard to its first NCAA tournament appearance in over 60 years, and he looks to continue that success against a solid Ivy League next season.

12. Colonial Athletic Association

Losing VCU hurts, but the CAA is still a solid conference that is going to be contending for a Top 10 spot on this list by the end of the season.

11. West Coast Conference

St. Mary's, BYU and Gonzaga form a core that almost put the WCC into the Top 10 on this list, but having a few terrible teams like Santa Clara weigh this conference down just enough to keep them out of the Top 10.

10. Conference USA

New teams/Departures: None

Top 25 contenders: 1

Notable incoming recruits: Danuel House (Houston), Shaq Goodwin (Memphis), Danrad Knowles (Houston)

Conference's top teams: Memphis

C-USA is going to be torn apart next season, with Houston, Memphis, UCF and SMU joining the Big East. However, that has no effect on this list.

Memphis remains the top team in Conference USA, but the rest of the conference is good enough to help C-USA scrape the Top 10.

G/F Adonis Thomas is going to be the best player in the conference, replacing Will Barton, who left for the NBA. The Tigers also bring in powerful big man Shaq Goodwin, and these two will make a fearsome combination.

After Memphis the conference is a mystery, although I would say that Houston is a dark horse for the No. 2 spot in the conference. Thanks to great recruits like Danuel House and Danrad Knowles, this team has the potential to rise to the top of the conference before joining the Big East next season.

UCF is another challenger for the No. 2 spot, returning all four of the team's top four scorers from a year ago. The Knights finished third in the conference behind Memphis and Southern Miss last season, but they could be competing for the Conference USA crown if things work out in their favor.

9. Atlantic 10

New teams/Departures: Butler (from Horizon), VCU (from CAA)

Top 25 contenders: 1

Notable incoming recruits: Kellen Dunham (Butler), Jordan Burgess (VCU)

Conference's top teams: Saint Louis, Temple, Xavier, Butler

While the A-10 doesn't actually have any teams who should be in the Top 25 sometime this season, the conference is loaded with good talent and will remain among the nation's best.

Having Butler join the conference a year early (per Sporting News) is a nice surprise for the conference, and having mastermind Brad Stevens is sure to spark some interest (not to mention add a great team). VCU also joins the conference, and we ould see a rivalry between the two since Butler beat VCU in the Final Four two years ago.

Butler will be among the conference's top competitors since you can't ever count Brad Stevens out. They probably won't win the conference, but they should be making some noise.

The A-10 also boasts Saint Louis, who made its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2000 last season; Temple who has the potential to crack the Top 25 at some point; and Xavier, who loses its entire backcourt and its seven-footer but should still remain competitive.

The A-10 has the potential to challenge some of the power conferences in the near future but will need to intensify its recruitment in order to do so.

8. Missouri Valley Conference

New teams/Departures: None

Top 25 contenders: 1

Notable incoming recruits: Fred Van Vleet (Wichita State)

Conference's top teams: Creighton

The Missouri Valley Conference emerged as one of the nation's best conferences last year on the backs of Creighton and Wichita State, both of whom were Top 25 teams and among the nation's best mid-majors.

The conference has a similar look this year (although the Shockers have lost seven-footer Garrett Stutz).

Creighton will be on top against thanks to the play of F Doug McDermott. The Bluejays will be in the Top 25 again, potentially hovering around the Top 10. McDermott will be in line for National Player of the Year candidacy and should be able to post similar numbers to his 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

Wichita State will be a good team again, but not great. Losing C Garrett Stutz hurts, as he averaged 13.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. He was a vital part of the team's plans on both offense and defense, and his mere presence was enough to intimidate opponents. The team also lost the rest of its top five scorers from last year.

Another contender will emerge in the form of Northern Iowa as well, losing just one senior and returning the team's top four scorers.

Illinois State could be dangerous, seeing as they won the MVC tournament without a single senior on the team, but the Redbirds still don't have a coach after losing Tim Jankovic to SMU.

7. Mountain West Conference

New teams/Departures: Fresno State (from WAC), Hawaii (from WAC), Nevada (from WAC), TCU (to Big 12)

Top 25 contenders: 2

Notable incoming recruits: Anthony Bennett (UNLV), Katin Reinhardt (UNLV), Winston Shepard (San Diego State)

Conference's top teams: UNLV, San Diego State

The Mountain West Conference was one of the top five conferences last season in terms of conference RPI, but it falls outside of the top six this year (hm...I wonder who the top six could possibly be).

While the conference has undergone major changes and most have been for the better, the MWC didn't recruit as well as the next six conferences, which is why they fall to No. 7 this year.

UNLV and San Diego State will be competing for the conference crown this season, thanks to past success and bringing in new talent.

Both of these teams have some of the best recruits in the country coming in, and UNLV has one of the best recruiting classes in the nation. The Rebels also bring in C Khem Birch to their already-talented team, while the Aztecs look to build on last year's success, tying for the conference crown.

The team that San Diego State tied for the conference title, New Mexico, is losing its best player in Drew Gordon, but it should still be a solid team. Colorado State will also get into the mix by returning its top four scorers from last season.

With three newcomers and a boatload of talent for a mid-major, the MWC ranks No. 7 on my list.

6. Pac-12

New teams/Departures: None

Top 25 contenders: 2

Notable incoming recruits: Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA), Kyle Anderson (UCLA), Kaleb Tarczewski (Arizona), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), Gabe York (Arizona), Tony Parker (UCLA), Grant Jerrett (Arizona)

Conference's top teams: Arizona, UCLA

As much as I hate to have the six power conferences be my top six, I have to do it.

The Pac-12 was easily the worst power conference last year, and they barely would have cracked the top 10 in this list if it weren't for bringing in so many good recruits.

The Pac-12 brings in three of the top five recruits in the Class of 2012, not to mention seven of the top 25 in my rankings.

Arizona and UCLA have the top two recruiting classes in the country and are both in the top five of the Top 25.

This conference now has two teams who can legitimately contend for an NCAA tournament championship, and they have as good a one-two punch as any other conference in the nation.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the rest of the conference, which is why the Pac-12 is only No. 6 in the nation.

Stanford returns five of its top six scorers after winning the NIT tournament, and they have the potential to be this year's Wichita State in that sense. Cal, Colorado and Washington are also in the hunt for third, but they are nowhere near UCLA and 'Zona.

This really is just a two-team conference, but those two teams are incredible.

5. Big 12

New teams/Departures: TCU (from Mountain West), West Virginia (from Big East), Missouri and Texas A&M (both to SEC)

Top 25 contenders: 4

Notable incoming recruits: Isaiah Austin (Baylor), Cameron Ridley (Texas), Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), Ricardo Gathers (Baylor), Perry Ellis (Kansas)

Conference's top teams: Kansas, Baylor

The Big 12 might be losing its conference tournament champion in Missouri and quite a bit of NBA talent, but the conference will still remain dominant on the backs of Kansas and Baylor, along with the rest of the conference, which is solid up-and-down.

Kansas is the perennial powerhouse of the Big 12, but Baylor will be making a push to take control. Both teams are losing stars, and seeing Thomas Robinson, Perry Jones III, Quincy Acy, Tyshawn Taylor and Quincy Miller flock to the NBA hurts them.

However, new recruits and old faces will let this conference remain one of the best in the country. Baylor's frontcourt is brand-new and incredibly talented, while Kansas is among the nation's top teams.

Kansas State should also remain in the Top 25 after coach Frank Martin bolted for South Carolina, and it wouldn't shock me to see either Texas or Iowa State crack the Top 25 as well (especially if the Longhorns land Devonta Pollard).

In order for the Big 12 to move up these rankings the new additions of TCU and West Virginia need to make an instant impact, or else the conference will be arguably the worst power conference in the nation.

4. ACC

New teams/Departures: None

Top 25 contenders: 4

Notable incoming recruits: Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke), Rodney Purvis (North Carolina State), Marcus Paige (North Carolina), Amile Jefferson (Duke), T.J. Warren, (North Carolina State), Tyler Lewis (North Carolina State)

Conference's top teams: North Carolina State, Duke, North Carolina

The ACC has not yet added Pittsburgh and Syracuse to its ranks, which will surely make it the premier college basketball conference in the future, but the conference still cracks the top five on this list.

There are three teams who are head-and-shoulders above everyone else in the conference, with those three schools being North Carolina State, Duke and North Carolina.

The typical Duke-North Carolina rivalry features two great teams battling each other for first in the ACC, and the majority of that statement is true. The only difference is that this year the two powerhouses will also have to compete with NC State.

Mark Gottfried has done a great job of convincing his top players to return, while adding one of the best recruiting classes in the nation. Throw in his excellent coaching, and you can see why this team is vaulting up the polls.

Florida State and Miami are among the dark horses in this conference. The Seminoles are coming off of their first ACC tournament championship in school history, while Miami returns six of its top seven scorers.

The ACC is a mystery after that, but with five good teams and the potential for more, they rank No. 4 in the nation.

3. SEC

New teams/Departures: Missouri and Texas A&M (both from Big 12)

Top 25 contenders: 4

Notable incoming recruits: Nerlens Noel (Kentucky), Alex Poythress (Kentucky), Archie Goodwin (Kentucky)

Conference's top teams: Kentucky

John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats lost more talent than 99 percent of teams have...but they're still the clear favorites in the SEC.

Thanks to another brilliant recruiting class, Kentucky is a top-five team and the clear favorite to win the SEC.

However, Florida has a good team coming back. The losses of Erving Walker and Bradley Beal hurt, but the team returns two great guards in Kenny Boynton and Mike Rosario, not to mention their best two big men in Patric Young and Erik Murphy.

The Missouri Tigers look to continue to impress under head coach Frank Haith, who brought the team from unranked in the preseason poll to a Big 12 conference tournament championship and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Tennessee will also surprise some people, bringing back six of the team's top seven scorers and having Jarnell Stokes for a full season.

The SEC is a mystery after that, but I give them the nod over the ACC for the No. 3 spot on this list because they bring in another current powerhouse in Missouri.

2. Big East

New teams/Departures: West Virginia (to Big 12)

Top 25 contenders: 5

Notable incoming recruits: Steven Adams (Pittsburgh), DaJuan Coleman (Syracuse), Ricardo Ledo (Providence), Kris Dunn (Providence)

Conference's top teams: Louisville, Notre Dame, Syracuse

The Big East was once the most feared college basketball conference in the country by far, but conference realignment is about to tear the conference apart. For now they have Pittsburgh and Syracuse, but they won't soon.

However, for now the conference is No. 2 in the nation because of its depth. The conference has five teams that have the potential to make the Top 25, which would be a little less than the average the conference had during its stretch of dominance.

Louisville is easily the best team in the conference, and the Cardinals rank No. 2 in most preseason polls. The team doesn't bring in many new recruits, but they do return a plethora of great players, including Peyton Siva.

Notre Dame, Syracuse, Cincinnati and Providence all have the potential to reach the Top 25.

Notre Dame and Syracuse are both great teams, and Cincy is on the cusp of the Top 25. Providence is a big sleeper, but with two of the best guards in the Class of 2012, their backcourt may be good enough to help them scrape the Top 25 at some point during the season.

All 15 members of the conference are decent teams, and with such good depth they rank No. 2 in the country.

1. Big Ten

New teams/Departures: None

Top 25 contenders: 5

Notable incoming recruits: Gary Harris (Michigan State), Mitch McGary (Michigan), Glenn Robinson Jr. (Michigan), Sam Dekker (Wisconsin), Yogi Ferrell (Indiana)

Conference's top teams: Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State

With the consensus No. 1 team in the country, Indiana, the Big Ten has five members who could—and should—reach the Top 25.

This is the best conference in the nation, hands down. With three teams in the top 10, and five in the top 20, the Big Ten will be the most dominant conference in the nation.

Indiana returns all five starters from last year's Sweet 16 team and adds five new recruits in one of the nation's best recruiting classes. However, they are not the only good team.

The Hoosiers are joined in the top 10 by Ohio State and Michigan.

The Buckeyes lose Jared Sullinger and William Buford, but retain just about everyone else. This team is still talented and dangerous.

The Wolverines bring back Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke, not to mention adding one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, headlined by center Mitch McGary.

Michigan State loses National Player of the Year candidate Draymond Green, but the Spartans bring in SG Gary Harris and three other Top 100 recruits to replace him.

Wisconsin rounds out the Top 25 teams in the Big Ten. The team plays stingy defense, and brings in a great recruit in Sam Dekker to help replace Jordan Taylor.

The rest of the Big Ten is solid to say the least, which is why they are head-and-shoulders above the rest of the conferences in D-I college basketball.

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