The Kansas Jayhawks remain atop the crowd in the Big 12 as they seem to be the team to beat year in and year out. Recent surges from the Jayhawks inner-state rival Kansas State have made for a more competitive spread but have yet to surpass the Kansas prestige. Following a similar suit of rivalry, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have also been able to maintain a level of play capable of competing with the Big 12's best.
Two of the most prestigious college basketball programs reside in the dominant ACC, those of course being Duke and North Carolina. The biggest rivalry doesn't include the ACC's best team, however, as Miami has taken the conference by storm this season. NC State has also been solid this season and from top to bottom the ACC is matched by no other conference in the nation.
The SEC has seen a rise in basketball talent through recent years with the addition of Missouri and Texas A&M expanding the conferences reach in recruiting. Continually pitting teams among the top 25 like Kentucky and Florida the SEC is never under-represented in college basketball. Smaller schools within the conference such as Ole Miss have also found some success in the SEC's expansion.
Big Ten basketball remains a pivotal group of teams that have always been able to produce national talent. Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State are some of the Big Ten team's that have historically produced some of college basketballs greatest teams since 1904. The success of the Big 10 continues to spread throughout the conference as teams like Michigan State and Wisconsin have been able to produce multiple winning seasons.
The Big East has begun to overtake the college basketball landscape, sending as many at 10 teams to the NCAA tournament every year. UConn won the national title in 2011 and has won three championships in the last 13 years. Pittsburgh and Louisville have had their opportunities to win it all recently as well, with the latter looking to be in the top three of the polls to start the 2012-13 season. Syracuse is not to be overlooked as well, as the Orangemen are always in the mix while recent surges from Marquette and Cincinnati have also capitalized on the Big East talent.
Historically the Pac 10 has been top heavy, with national powerhouse UCLA taking home conference honors. Recently the field has gotten a little larger and more parity has been introduced in the form of the Washington Huskies and Stanford Cardinals. The conference hasn't produced a national title winner since the Bruins in '95, but with Arizona and Oregon leading the court things could change drastically for the Pac 12.