NCAA Tournament 2013: Conference Power Rankings After Round of 32

Conference pride is a very real thing. When small schools or mid-majors make it to the Big Dance, they do so knowing that they carry the weight of that conference’s perception. 

That’s why the Colonial League will forever be indebted to George Mason or the Atlantic Sun (Florida Gulf Coast) and the Missouri Valley (Wichita State) leagues can take immense pride in what their teams are doing.

While those are some of the best examples of mid-majors doing its best to shed that label, some of the more prominent conferences this season have absolutely flopped on a national stage.

When seeding teams, the selection committee takes into account the relative strengths of each conference, which is why power conferences earn the majority of the at-large bids. But if this tournament has taught us anything, it’s that the selection committee often has no idea about the relative strengths of each league.

The first slide ranks all 18 leagues whose teams failed to win a game in the round of 64. After that, we rank the leagues which have seen relative success in this year's tournament. 

Read on to see our ranking of each conference based on how each has fared in the Big Dance. 

Ranking Nos. 31-14, the Leagues Which Didn't Record a Victory in Round of 64

31. Big South: Liberty, just the second 20-loss team to make the field, lost to North Carolina A&T in the play-in game, 73-72. The Flames finished 15-21 on the season. 

30. Northeast League: Their lone representative, LIU-Brooklyn, was bounced from the play-in game against James Madison by a score of 68-55.  

29. Big Sky: The Orange defense embarrassed Montana by allowing just 34 points on 20 percent shooting. No Grizzlies player topped five points. 

28: Mid-Eastern Athletic: The North Carolina A&T Aggies won their play-in game over Liberty but were promptly trounced by 31 points in their round of 64 game against Louisville.

27. Southland: Despite an impressive first half against Florida that saw Northwestern State trail 40-32, the Demons unraveled in the second and were blown out by the Gators by a final score of 79-47.

26. Mid-American: Akron got steamrolled by VCU’s havoc defense, as it turned the ball over 21 times. In its defense, the Zips were missing point guard Alex Abreu due to drug trafficking charges.

25. Horizon: Despite its exciting conference tournament run, Valparaiso was dominated by a physical Michigan State team in its round of 64 loss. The 65-54 final wasn’t indicative of how large the disparity between the two teams actually was.

24. Big West: The Pacific Tigers never had a chance against Miami, which racked up 78 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the three-point line. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak heading into the tournament.

23. America East: The Great Danes didn’t get blown against a far larger Duke team, which pounded the ball inside to Mason Plumlee. In fact, Albany was only outscored 38-35 in the second half against the Blue Devils.

22. Colonial Athletic: Despite finishing fourth in the conference standings, James Madison got hot late in the season and reeled off five straight wins, including the play-in game win over LIU-Brooklyn. Unfortunately, the size and speed of Indiana was too much for the Dukes.

21. Metro Atlantic Athletic: The Buckeyes didn’t take Iona lightly, as they shouldn’t have because of their potentially explosive offense. Still, Gaels leading scorer Lamont Jones was limited to just nine points in the 95-70 loss. Iona finished 20-14 on the season.

20. Western Athletic: The New Mexico State Aggies were outclassed by a veteran Saint Louis team, which forced 16 turnovers. The Aggies have nothing to be ashamed about after a 14-4 conference record and 24 wins on the season.

19. Patriot League: It’s a shame the committee pitted conference winner Bucknell against Butler in the first round, but the Bison were a trendy upset pick, nonetheless. Tons of credit to big man Joe Willman, whose 20 points helped give the Bison the lead with around eight minutes remaining in the game. Unfortunately, Butler iced the game with solid free-throw shooting down the stretch.

18. Summit League: It was fun while it lasted, Nate. The Jackrabbits’ leading scorer struggled against a quicker Michigan team, and South Dakota State ultimately lost 71-56. The Jackrabbits finished the year with 25 wins. As for Wolters, his 22.7-point-per-game average has him on some NBA radars.

17.  Ohio Valley: Belmont won its conference tournament with an overtime victory over Murray State but then had to wait 12 days until facing No. 6-seeded Arizona. The Bruins played at a quick pace, but their speed couldn’t compete with the Wildcats’ size. They were out-rebounded 42-15.

16. Southern: Oh, Davidson. Why couldn’t you just hold on to a seven-point lead with 1:33 remaining in your game against Marquette? Even if you earned just one win, it would’ve sparked memories of that oh-so-famous run in 2008. Alas, the Wildcats, champions of the Southern Conference, exited a bit too early.

15. Sun Belt: Western Kentucky wasn’t going to let Southern University run away with the “mid-major closest to upset a No. 1 seed” award. The Hilltoppers scared Kansas, badly. The Jayhawks were actually losing to WKU at halftime and were only up four with 30 seconds left. There are no moral victories, but for a team that went further than regular-season champion Middle Tennessee, a near-historic moment will have to suffice.  

14. Southwestern Athletic: Speaking of the “mid-major closest to upsetting a No. 1 seed” award, the Southern Jaguars kicked off the tournament with a dangerously close upset over No. 1 seed Gonzaga. Not only did it re-affirm everyone’s belief that Gonzaga was vulnerable, but the Jaguars’ awesome (hideous?) jerseys got some prominent exposure. 

13. Conference USA (1-1)

Memphis earns the dubious honor of representing the lowest-ranked conference that had a team actually win a game in the round of 64.

Memphis’ win over Saint Mary’s marked coach Josh Pastner’s first NCAA tournament victory after two straight seasons of losing in the first round. Unfortunately for Pastner, the Tigers turned cold from outside and ran into a giant Michigan State frontcourt in the next round. 

12. West Coast (1-2 Combined Record)

For years, the ‘Zags seemed like an overachieving team come March, never expected to do much but always assured of winning at least one game.

Last year, they made it to the round of 32 as a No. 7 seed. The year before that, they got to the same place as a No. 11 seed. In 2010, same story as a No. 8 seed. For non-math majors, that’s four straight years of being one of the best 32 teams in the country. Maybe overachieving was the wrong word.

With a No. 1 seed on your back, the round of 32 isn’t going to cut it, especially if you’re Mark Few and trying to change the perception of Gonzaga basketball. It’s not as if the Bulldogs wafted through their first game, either, sweating out a late charge from the Southern Jaguars (did I mention their uniforms?!). 

Saint Mary’s play-in victory over Middle Tennessee State was the only bright spot for the conference as a whole. Not a good look, WCC. 

11. Mountain West (2-4)

Hailed as the top-rated RPI conference, the Mountain West absolutely flopped in the tournament.

Maybe that’s more an indictment on the RPI system than it is on the conference as a whole, but San Diego State, UNLV, New Mexico and Colorado State all vastly underperformed. 

The only teams to advance past the opening round were Colorado State and San Diego State, the latter having succumbed to No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast. UNLV was hailed by some (OK, me) as a potential sleeper pick, but a more poised California team took advantage of an awful offensive display.

The biggest knock on the conference was undoubtedly New Mexico’s loss to Harvard in front of a pro-Lobo crowd in Salt Lake City. The kids from Harvard weren’t fazed by New Mexico’s length, holding guards Kendall Williams and Tony Snell to just 5-of-18 shooting.

For how rugged the Mountain West supposedly was throughout the season, this year’s tournament will hang as an ugly albatross all summer long. 

10. Ivy League (1-1)

Yes, the Ivy League (and by that I mean Harvard) out-performed the Mountain West, the Big 12 and the West Coast conferences in terms of winning percentage. 

The Crimson’s stunning victory over New Mexico was the result of tough defense, an unyielding attitude and excellent perimeter shooting. The No. 14 seed was nothing to Tommy Amaker’s team, as Wesley Saunders battled inside for 18 points while Laurent Rivard hit five of nine three-pointers.

Harvard couldn’t get past a more athletic Arizona team, but the Crimson will undoubtedly be pleased with the program’s first NCAA tournament victory. 

9. Big 12 (3-4)

The conference showing hasn’t been that impressive, whatsoever. Kansas did what it was supposed to do by making the Sweet 16, albeit with a little friction along the way. 

Iowa State has been the Big 12’s best story after burying Notre Dame with nine three-pointers in its opening game. A twisted ankle to the Cyclones’ best defender, Chris Babb, may have cost Iowa State a chance at the Sweet 16. It hung with Ohio State behind 48 percent three-point shooting and a plus-15 rebounding advantage. One can’t help but wonder whether Aaron Craft would’ve made that jumper had Babb, an all-Big 12 first-team defender, been guarding him.

The conference could’ve withstood sub-par showings from either Oklahoma State or Kansas State, but not both of them. It’s never good when the second- and third-place finishers, respectively, bow out of the NCAA tournament after just 40 minutes. 

8. Atlantic Sun (2-0)

Here they are, the darlings of the tournament, the Eagles from Florida Gulf Coast.

The best part about watching their game against Georgetown was that you never felt like they were out of place. Whether it was Brett Comer’s deft dribbling or Sherwood Brown’s attacking nature, they never seemed fazed by the stage.

Against San Diego State, that feeling of confidence gave way to arrogance, which as the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16, you kind of have to grant them. As fun as they are to root for, it was a little disconcerting to see Brown endlessly taunting the Aztec defenders with his MJ-like tongue bobbing up and down.

When Brown went to shake hands with Reggie Miller and Len Elmore (for the second time in two games), you couldn’t help but think that the senior was milking his new-found fame. Still, the Eagles are in uncharted territory, and I guess they can’t exactly act like they’ve been there before. For Cinderella, anything goes. 

7. SEC (3-2)

Given how mediocre pundits viewed the SEC all year long, their three representatives—Florida, Mississippi and Missouri—have requited themselves fairly well.   

The Gators, to no one’s surprise, stomped Northwestern State and handled a turnover-prone Minnesota team. It’s not their fault that they were granted an easy path to the Sweet 16.

Mississippi picked up a few fans in dispatching No. 5 Wisconsin. As potentially polarizing as Marshall Henderson can be, he was actually fairly tame until the final few minutes of the upset. On Sunday, the Rebels lost a tough game to La Salle but proved themselves worthy competitors throughout the contest. If nothing else, it was more than was expected for Andy Kennedy’s team. 

6. Missouri Valley (3-1)

The conference is losing its best ambassador next season when Creighton jumps ship to the Big East. That’s what sustained winning will eventually do for programs.

But in this year’s tournament, the Bluejays beat a scrappy Cincinnati team and held their own against Duke in the round of 32. Who knows whether it was Doug McDermott’s final game in a royal blue jersey? If it was, he carried himself with immense class throughout his whole career and was a pretty decent basketball player as well. They've carried the mantle for mid-majors for a while and did nothing this year to diminish that perception.  

As for the other team still dancing, Wichita State probably isn’t thrilled that its best competition is leaving. The Shockers did exactly that when knocking out the first No. 1 seed in Gonzaga. The Missouri Valley conference was already on the map, but Wichita State will be favored in next week’s Sweet 16 contest against La Salle. One more win after that will have the Shockers join the ranks of the Davidsons, George Masons and VCUs.

5. Pac-12 (5-3)

No league was more disrespected by the selection committee than the Pac-12.

Oregon, which won the conference tournament, is an extremely under-seeded No. 12. The Ducks have beaten two high-quality teams, and with the type of three-point shooting they’ve displayed in those wins, they could challenge Louisville. Oregon certainly won’t be overwhelmed with the Cards’ speed.

California upset a more talented UNLV team and then took Syracuse to the wire. Meanwhile, Arizona got a fortunate draw and used its athleticism to boost it to the Sweet 16. The only team that could’ve had a better showing was UCLA, but the Bruins weren’t healthy and there was clearly a lot of turmoil within the program.

As one of just four leagues with two representatives in the Sweet 16, they have nothing to be ashamed of. 

4. Big East (6-5)

It serves that with eight teams in the Big Dance, the Big East would have a good showing in the Sweet 16, but aside from the usual suspects, the league hasn’t done as well as it could have. 

Pittsburgh looked awful against Wichita State, Notre Dame’s offense couldn’t keep pace with Iowa State and Georgetown’s collapse doesn’t need to be rehashed.

Syracuse and Marquette both made it unconvincingly, but as the saying goes, survive and advance.

Louisville is really carrying this league in terms of their two dominating performances. Oregon should test the Cardinals, but a potential Elite Eight matchup against either Duke or Michigan State will be as heated as any Final Four game.

3. ACC (5-2)

Simply put, the only team that has really disappointed was N.C. State, and even it lost to a Temple team that nearly knocked off No. 1 Indiana. 

North Carolina gave Kansas all it could handle, but the Jayhawks’ size won out over the Tar Heels’ speed.

Duke and Miami have both gotten to where they were expected to be. The Blue Devils offense is thriving despite Ryan Kelly’s shooting struggles. Should he come to life against Michigan State, Duke would have four elite three-point shooters.

The Hurricanes were fortunate to get past Illinois, but even that wouldn’t have been an awful loss, given that the Illini have beaten Gonzaga and Indiana. Miami matches up well against Marquette and has the size to advance to the Elite Eight. 

Atlantic 10 (6-4)

The Missouri Valley conference and the A-10 are the only two leagues whose collective members didn’t lose a first-round game, excluding leagues with only one NCAA team. 

That’s indicative of league-wide depth and talent. While there’s only one A-10 team still dancing, La Salle, all five teams showed commendable effort and fortitude.

If there were a trademark attribute of the A-10, it would have to be toughness. Saint Louis has been mentally tough all season after losing former coach Rick Majerus. VCU’s havoc defense mandates unbelievable stamina, and the Rams faced one of the few teams capable of shedding the pressure in Michigan.

Temple and Butler both proved tough outs against Indiana and Marquette, respectively, and both could’ve easily advanced to the Sweet 16 given one or two more breaks. 

So the hopes of the A-10 will ride with the Explorers, a team that finished tied for third in the league at 11-5. The Explorers won’t be favored against Wichita State, but it’s not an unfamiliar position for La Salle. 

1. Big Ten (10-3)

The Big Ten, called the most talented league in the country all season long, has backed that talk up in the NCAA tournament. 

Only Wisconsin, a Big Ten enigma, lost its first-round game, and the league still has four teams alive in the tournament. The running joke is that the only thing teams like Minnesota and Illinois needed was to get out of conference play.

Michigan has shown very few weaknesses and seems to have regained its midseason form when it was the top team in the country. Indiana was tested but managed to prevail thanks to Player of the Year candidate Victor Oladipo.

The Buckeyes defense has always been superb, but it’s their offense that has been the story of the tournament so far. Finally, Tom Izzo’s Spartans are still alive in the Midwest region but face the most grueling path of any of the conference’s four teams. Don’t be surprised if two or three of the Big Ten teams wind up in Atlanta for the Final Four. It was, and is, the best league in the country.