College basketball fans are always arguing about how their teams stack up — and how their conferences compare. Partisans of all the big leagues love to crow on message boards about their dominance or disparage competing conferences.
So, as the men’s basketball season heads into its final months, which conference is on top? The Big Ten? Sure, Purdue is No. 1. The Southeastern Conference? Yep, Tennessee is No. 2. Arizona and U.C.L.A. of the Pac-12 are playing well, too.
But the best and deepest conference this season is the Big 12.
To be sure, the Big 12 has been consistently strong in recent years.