Giving props...

As the regular season winds to a close 5 of the 6 power conferences have declared their regular season champ, with the outcome of Duke vs North Carolina still pending.  Their are a few teams that stand out, but the tournament field in general seems pretty even.
Pittsburgh has claimed the Big East regular season title outright.  The Big East has been claimed by many to be the best conference in college basketball this season.  While I'm not in complete agreement with that, to have the best record in this conference deserves some mention.  Should Duke faulter against North Carolina tonight and with Iowa upsetting Purdue, it's very possible that Pittsburgh could be looking at a #1 seed.  But is Pittsburgh the best team in the Big East?  Notre Dame would like to say that they are, but their only claim to that is when they play in South Bend.  When they leave South Bend, they struggle.  When it comes to the hottest team in the conference, there's no doubt who that is.  St Johns came from no where and probably has more upsets than any team in the country.  All they do is beat good teams.  This is one team I would NOT want to see in my regional come tournament time.
Florida beat Vanderbilt today to claim their right to the SEC regular season title.  If there is an award for teams that improve the most throughout the season, Florida would be well deserving of this award.  They are clearly the best team in the SEC with Kentucky's inability to win away from Rupp Arena.
Arizona won the Pac 10 title despite stumbling in Los Angeles last week, loosing to USC and UCLA.  I think Arizona is a team that will surprise a few people.  They will be my "sleeper" team.  UCLA is also a very dangerous team, but also unpredictable.  They can look like a completely different team from game to game.
The Big 10 champ was decided today, but it may not have mattered what happened today.  Purdue, coming into today, was one of the hottest teams in the NCAA.  I can't count the number of times I've heard in the last few days that Purdue could claim a share of the Big 10 title with a win against Iowa.  Not only did they loose to Iowa, but the outcome of the Big 10 was not in Purdue's hands to begin with.  For that to happen, Ohio State would have to loose to Wisconsin, at home.  Ohio State is one of the best teams in the country and winning in Columbus will be no easy task for Wisconsin, almost impossible.  But, anything is possible.  Iowa proved that today, beating the hottest team in the country.  Some have claimed the Big 10 to be the best conference, but when the #4 team's conference record is 8-8.  Even in the weaker Pac 10 you don't reach .500 until the 6 spot, and the ACC in the 6 or 7 spot.  But, because of idiots like that teams with an 8-8 conference record like Illinois and Michigan State will still end up in the field of 68.  After seeing several Big 10 teams play down the stretch, I don't think I would even rank them in the top 3 any more.
Kansas claimed their 7 regular season Big XII title in a row today holding on the beat Missouri in Columbia this afternoon.  Many people were writing them off as Kansas State beat KU in Manhattan and Texas appeared to be running away with the conference.  I remember blogging after that game and making the comment that in the big picture, KU had nothing to worry about after that loss, and saying that it is still very possible they would still win the conference, and here they are.  The hottest team in the conference is Kansas State.  They began the season as the favorites to win the Big XII and struggled through the middle of the season.  But Frank Martin has rallied his troops to finish winning 8 of their last 9, including wins over Kansas, Missouri, and Texas to finish 4th in the conference after starting conference play 2-5.
As I am writing this Duke and North Carolina are battling for the ACC.  This one is simple.  Winner take all.  Duke appears headed for a 1 seed, yet may not even win their conference title.  That's about as fair as Nebraska playing for a national championship after not winning the Big XII Conference in football.  But with no one seeming to want that coveted #1 seed, is it possible that North Carolina could end up with a number 1 seed as well?  If UNC wins tonight, and wins the ACC tournament, I think it's very likely they will be a #1.  UNC is the better overall.  Duke lives and dies by the 3 ball.  If the 3's aren't falling, Duke is going down.
As far as I'm concerned I put more weight on the regular season than the conference tournament.  The regular season includes 16 to 18 games.  The conference tournament is only 3 or 4 games if you win it all.  It is much more difficult to win a regular season conference title than a tournament title.  If KSU or Missouri wins the Big XII tournament, are they the conference champs?  If MSU or Illinois wins the Big 10 tournament, are they the conference champs? All the conference tournament is for is for teams like Baylor, Michigan State, Illinois, Virginia Tech to mount a last stand to try and save their season and make it to the NCAA tournament, to probably loose in the first or second round anyway.
I am first going to give props to BYU.  This story has been widely publicized all week.  One of their key players was suspended for violations to BYU's honor code.  It was later learned that this violation was sleeping with his girlfriend.  BYU may be the only school in the country with that clause in the honor code, but rules are rules.  I applaud BYU for doing the right thing and sticking to it, despite the fact they are playing for a national championship.  I've believed all season long the BYU was overrated as a team and not as good as they have been made out to be.  I am not a big fan of Mike and Mike in the morning on ESPNRadio, but they made a few very good points the other day.  There are violations much more serious than this that are overlooked and turned a blind eye to.  I feel safe in saying that there are VERY few teams that will be playing in the NCAA tournament that have not violated at least one NCAA rule.  It happens everywhere.  Golic asked Greenberg if Northwestern was in the position BYU was in and he saw a star playing driving a VERY nice car, would he report it? Greenberg honestly answered no.  The other good point Golic made was, how different would the landscape of college football have been if Cam Newton had admited guilt from the beginning?  It would have been very easy for this to "go away" until after the season was over.  But they did the right thing, and the kid admitted his guilt and apologized for it.  Kansas has had 3 players suspended this season.  Freshman Josh Selby was suspended for recruiting violations.  Mario Little was suspended for beating on a woman.  Tyshawn Taylor was suspended for "team violations".  All 3 finished the season on KU's active roster.  BYU literally put honor before winning.  How many other schools can say that? I bet you could count them on one hand.
I also give props to Roy Williams and North Carolina.  His team has 4 Seniors, 3 of whom are walk-ons.  North Carolina started ALL 4 seniors and let them play until the first break in action against the #4 team in the country.
On a different note, one of the final games of the Big XII Conference will feature the "Battle of Traitors."  Colorado and Nebraska tip off at 9:00 Eastern time.  As most know, both teams will be leaving the Big XII after this spring, Nebraska headed for the Big 10, and Colorado for the new "Pac 12".  While I don't care for either team, their leaving will hurt the Big XII as both teams appear to be headed for success.  Headed for weaker conferences, both teams could see immediate success as well.  But, there are more immediate implications in this game.  Both teams are on the bubble, and probably the wrong side of the bubble, but the looser of this game is probably in essence eliminated from the field of 68.  Reguardless of what happens tonight, Tad Boyle and Doc Sadler have their teams headed in the right direction, just wish it was the Big XII way.
As I finish up, North Carolina has just beat Duke to claim the ACC regular season title.  Those 6 teams are the real conference champs, I don't care what happens in the conference tournaments.
I would like to think the Big XII will be the most dangerous in the NCAA tournament.  You have Kansas and Texas at the top.  Despite Texas' recent struggles are still a VERY solid team and want to make a statement after the way they finished last season.  Next you have Texas A&M and their danger is their coach.  Mark Turgeon is a VERY good post season coach.  He always prepares and has his teams ready when it counts.  Then you have the hottest team in the conference in Kansas State.  They can be very dangerous if the right team shows up.  Your bubble teams are Nebraska and Colorado who have several big wins.  But the Big East beating each other up all season may benifit them as well.  Only time will tell.