AP and USA Today rankings

[Windyplayer]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings

Nova does us proud at #12 in both polls. But, that's it in the Big East. Need to do better as the season gets underway.

HOWEVER, Longhorns check in at #10 so Barnes seems to have that program...er, wait, we're not playing that game anymore?

[Tugg Speedman]

Big East
Nova = 12 and Georgetown among "other receiving votes."

Pac-12
Zona = 3 and Stanford and UCLA among "other receiving votes."


So why don't we ever read stories and the future of Pac-12 basketball?  Why is it on the BE that seems to be "on the brink" and the BE has to "explain itself."

The Pac-12 has been as bad as any power 5 conference ... three years ago the Pac-12 had no ranked teams and only UCLA among others getting votes (http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings/_/year/2012/week/4/seasontype/3) 

The Pac-12 has been a mid-major basketball conference for years ... certainly the A10 has been better than them year in and year out for years.

[NCMUFan]

Have a decent winning streak and beat some decent teams and you will be ranked.  No one in the Big East has proved that they deserve to be ranked yet.

[wadesworld]

Have a decent winning streak and beat some decent teams and you will be ranked.  No one in the Big East has proved that they deserve to be ranked yet.

Well, everyone's 0-0 so...

[MU82]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings

Longhorns check in at #10 so Barnes seems to have that program...er, wait, we're not playing that game anymore?

I couldn't help but notice the same thing and recall how much energy was wasted around these parts conjecturizin' that Buzz would be bugging out of Cheeseland for Beefland. Pretty amusing in retrospect.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I couldn't help but notice the same thing and recall how much energy was wasted around these parts conjecturizin' that Buzz would be bugging out of Cheeseland for Beefland. Pretty amusing in retrospect.

Well, that's where the #2 coach in MU history would go.  I mean, he would never go to a place like.....

[g0lden3agle]

Well, that's where the #2 coach in MU history would go.  I mean, he would never go to a place like.....

Chicos - How would you rank MU's coaches?

[Eldon]

Big East
Nova = 12 and Georgetown among "other receiving votes."

Pac-12
Zona = 3 and Stanford and UCLA among "other receiving votes."


So why don't we ever read stories and the future of Pac-12 basketball?  Why is it on the BE that seems to be "on the brink" and the BE has to "explain itself."

The Pac-12 has been as bad as any power 5 conference ... three years ago the Pac-12 had no ranked teams and only UCLA among others getting votes (http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings/_/year/2012/week/4/seasontype/3) 

The Pac-12 has been a mid-major basketball conference for years ... certainly the A10 has been better than them year in and year out for years.

Here's an off-the-cuff explanation.  It may be because of their football dollars, coupled with being largely the flagship institutions in their respective states.  These facts manifest themselves in a lack of questioning of the basketball stability of the conference because if at some point basketball in the PAC12 became so bad, these institutions could flip a switch, as it were, and become respectable at bb.  Of course, any potential increase in basketball allocation comes at the expense of football. 

Concisely put, football can act as basketball-mediocrity insurance whereas the A10 does not have this luxury.