The Top Five College Basketball Conferences in 2009

College basketball has become much more even than it was in the past when there were a few dominant teams and the smaller guys had no chance, but there are still some conferences that stand out as the best of the best. What kind of things make the conferences get to the top? The depth of a league is very important, as is the out of league results especially from the top teams in the conference. Also the strength of schedule and depth of each team's roster will be weighed in these rankings.

The Top Five College Basketball Conferences in 2009

1. Big East- I really don't think you can put anyone else at the top spot. The Big East is absolutely loaded and almost every single game is a real battle in this conference. At the top of the league you have Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Marquette all in the top 10 at this point. There are plenty of other dangerous schools lower down such as Villanova, Syracuse, Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Georgetown. The depth and quality of this conference is unmatched.

2. ACC- The ACC is extremely strong at the top, but it isn't quite as deep as the Big East. Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Clemson all are in the top ten at this point; but no other team is ranked in the top 25. Virginia and Georgia Tech are fairly weak and drag the conference down slightly. Still a great conference, but just a notch below the Big East.

3. Big 10- The Big Ten was much maligned in football, but they are proving to be a very tough conference in basketball. The Big Ten is certainly the most improved conference this year and outside of Indiana and Iowa there is no team in the conference that doesn't have a chance at the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten doesn't have any dominant teams, but rather it has a lot of very good teams that will beat each other up.

4. Pac 10- The Pac Ten is a notch below the top three, but it still is a fairly solid conference. Oregon, Oregon State, and Stanford are pulling the conference down some and Arizona is underachieving once again this season. The top is peppered with teams who are unlikely to win it all, but could beat anyone on any given night.

5. Big 12- The Big 12 has been hurt badly by the lack of depth in their conference this year. Oklahoma is definitely a title contender, and Texas and Kansas are also ranked. At the bottom of the league Colorado, Texas Tech, and Iowa State are very weak this season.

The Big East is clearly the best top to bottom and the top three conferences have some distance between themselves and the rest of the field. It's shaping up to be a great tournament this March!