Conference records in March madness 2024: Ranking the P5 conferences from best to worst in NCAA tournament
March Madness rolls on for 16 lucky teams, but the NCAA Tournament has already drawn to a close for 52 others. How did the individual conferences fare? Focusing in on the power five leagues (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC), it's clear that there was plenty of variety in terms of overall performance. Here's our ranking of the power five in their NCAA Tournament performance:
The power 5 conferences in March Madness 2024
5. SEC (5-6 record, Tennessee, Alabama left)
The only chance the SEC has to escape the cellar of these rankings is if Tennessee or Alabama win the NCAA crown.
As it stands, the league has a losing NCAA Tournament record. Worse yet, the two biggest upsets of the Tournament both came at the SEC's expense. No. 3 seed Kentucky fell to Oakland and No. 4 seed Auburn fell to Yale.
South Carolina and Mississippi State both looked outmatched in their first-round drubbings. That was particularly bad for Carolina as a No. 6 seed. While Texas A&M was valiant in defeat to Houston, competence by the SEC has been an iffy proposition. Maybe Bama or Tennessee will help late.
4. Big 12 (7-6, Iowa State and Houston remaining)
The Big 12 hasn't done THAT much better than the SEC. Yes, the league avoided embarrassments like Kentucky and Auburn. But that's about the extent of the positive. Kansas went down early, as did Baylor. cougars-football" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">BYU and Texas Tech both had ugly first-round stumbles.
The main advantage the Big 12 has is that Houston is still a very dangerous team. If the Cougars win the NCAA title, then the talk won't be about early losses for some of the league's good-not-great teams. Iowa State could also be dangerous, but the league likely hangs its hopes on Houston.
3. Pac 12 (6-3, Arizona remaining)
The Pac 12 hasn't been great, but they've probably been as good or better than expected. Arizona plays on and gives the league it's best shot at Tournament glory.
Oregon overachieved and gave Creighton a great round of 32 games. Colorado was tough against Marquette and even Washington State reached the second round.
It retrospect, the Pac 12 has a decent case that the league deserved more NCAA Tournament representation. Particularly if Arizona reaches the Final Four or better, the Pac 12 didn't have a bad March at all.
2. Big Ten (6-4, Purdue and Illinois still remaining)
The Big Ten has had some down moments, but overall, its two best teams are still carrying the banner for the league. Teams like Nebraska and Wisconsin have predictably fallen by the wayside. Michigan State was good for one Tournament win, but not two. Ditto Northwestern.
All season long, it was clear that the top two teams were head and shoulders above the rest of the Big Ten.
The league's reputation will ultimately rest on them. If Purdue wins the NCAA title and/or Illinois makes the Final Four, the Big Ten earned this spot. If not, they could slide down a notch or two.
1.ACC (8-1, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Clemson remaining)
In what was supposedly a down ACC, the league got just five teams into the NCAA Tournament field. Four are still standing. Virginia did completely faceplant in the First Four, but the rest of the league has been exceptionally strong.
Clemson and NC State are the two "underdogs" (Clemson is a No. 6 seed) left in the NCAA field. The Wolfpack's surprising run might be the early story of the Tournament. If Duke and/or UNC finish strong, the ACC's stock has to rise going forward.