Jon Rothstein just said what the rest of us have been yelling for weeks: the Big 12 is clearly the best conference in college basketball, and it’s not particularly close. Rothstein, who practically lives inside a gym this time of year, dropped the quote on X, pointing to both the depth and firepower this league is throwing around right now.
According to him, six teams: Arizona, Iowa State, Houston, Texas Tech, BYU, and Kansas, would be in play for top-16 protected seeds if Selection Sunday happened today.
That’s not some wild stretch or hot take, either. The bottom half of the league is winning games it shouldn’t, and the top half looks like it could survive a mini-March Madness on its own. If you’ve watched this league over the past few weeks, you know what Rothstein’s talking about.
Arizona has been a machine. Iowa State is shoving people around, including No. 1 Purdue. Houston’s doing that thing where they make basketball look miserable for the other team. BYU might be the most sneaky-good team in the country. And Texas Tech? They’re continuing to climb. Kansas has dealt with some injury issues so far, but are you really betting against Bill Self in March? Didn’t think so.
Rothstein’s right about the bottom of the league, too. It’s not full of pushovers. Teams like UCF and Oklahoma State aren’t just lying down. Even the programs that have struggled a bit, like Cincinnati or Arizona State, have shown they can punch up when they need to.
And that’s what separates the Big 12 from the other leagues right now. It’s the depth. The ACC is a mess, the Big Ten is mid, and the SEC looks is a whopping 14-2 against the Big 12 this season!
The best part? We’re still early. These guys are going to beat the brakes off each other for the next two months, and then show up in March ready to go. When Selection Sunday rolls around, don’t be shocked if this league has nine or 10 teams dancing, and more than a couple still standing deep into the second weekend.
Rothstein just said it out loud. The rest of the country better catch up.
