Then, by the end of the night, 3 SEC, 3 Pac-12 and 3 Big XII teams were in the Sweet 16. Shoulders shrugged.
You'd think with the mountains of evidence to the contrary, people would understand conference strength isn't determined in a single-elimination tournament. Sadly, people are very stupid or provincial.
Leagues like the Big 14 and SEC have become so bloated, without truly great teams, the bottom feeders drag them down. We've discussed here what "ailed" the Big 14 this season. Good teams, no great teams. The SEC have two really good teams, maybe championship winning teams and a whole lot of mediocrity. South Carolina making the Sweet 16 doesn't change that.
The real issue is the ACC was pushed hard by many as the best conference ever. We looked at that and showed it was really good but didn't match the 2011 Big East. It was still a great league this season. We also hammered home the point all the teams had flaws. Virginia and Lousiville on offense, Duke on defense. On any given day or night, that can get exposed.
With that all said, the Big 14 could use a national championship as could the Pac-12 as each league is 17 and 20 years respectively removed from national titles. That would be important but wouldn't change what a league was all year. Both things can be true if not understood.
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