Big East Basketball: Why UConn's Success Proves It Is Still the Best Conference

Connecticut's incredible run from the Big East basement (ninth place in the Big East regular season standings) to one shining moment allowed commentators another opportunity to laud the strength of the vaunted Big East.

Despite some early struggles in the tournament, which saw only two disappointing teams make it to the Sweet Sixteen in Marquette and UCONN (both having greatly exceeded expectations), the Big East still found a way, as it so often does, to end up on top.  

After being criticized as "The Big Least," particularly by the always-quotable Charles Barkely, the super conference formed after the Big East raided Conference USA and has since remained the best conference, top to bottom, in the nation.

The ACC, as usual, is extremely top heavy. First, there's UNC and Duke, then there's a scramble for third.

The Big 12 (the one losing Colorado and Nebraska) will be solid with strong teams like Texas and Kansas and the ever-present Missouri, but I don't see enough depth or any realistic title hopes for any of these teams.

Similarly, the SEC has some highly talented teams (Florida, Vanderbilt and Kentucky), but is not nearly deep enough to be in the running.

As for the Big Ten, an argument can be made.

However, outside of OSU, the perennial underperforming Badgers and the up-and-coming Michigan, I'm not that impressed. It also gets much uglier the further down you go—Hoosiers, Hawkeyes and a Talor Battle-less Penn State team.

I doubt the Big East can match their 11 bids from last season, but look for six teams to be absolute locks (Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Syracuse, Marquette, Connecticut, Louisville) and at least two out of Villanova, Notre Dame, Georgetown, West Virginia and St. Johns to be dancing as well.

It's hard to tell exactly the way in which everything will fall in such a competitive conference, but I feel pretty confident that the Big East will be around eight.

If everything works out like this year, they might even push double digits again.