SEASON PREVIEW 2002-03 | TOP CONFERENCES

When considering conference rankings, I have to go right to my VBDI (Vitale Bald Dome Index).

Judging the nation's toughest conference is a matter of opinion -- it can be tough because it's simply subjective. With so many quality leagues in America, it makes for a great debate. That's what makes the sport so interesting. But in the end, only one conference will celebrate when its representative cuts down the nets at the Final Four in New Orleans.

	Roy Williams took the Jayhawks to four Final Fours.

That said, here's my preseason ranking of the top five conferences in the nation.

1. Big 12
From top to bottom, this league has heavyweights like Kansas and Oklahoma, two of my preseason top three. It has other tough squads like the Texas Longhorns, Bob Knight's Texas Tech Red Raiders, Oklahoma State and Missouri. The conference has a number of tough places to play on the road (like Ames, Iowa). There are loads of star players and coaches. Think about these standouts: Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich of Kansas, Hollis Price of Oklahoma, Andre Emmett of Texas Tech and T.J. Ford of Texas, for starters. Then check out these coaches: Kansas' Roy Williams, Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson, Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton, The General at Texas Tech ... and the list goes on and on.

2. ACC
Year in and year out, this league is among the nation's best. I know that a lot of talent left early -- how good would the ACC be if Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Carlos Boozer, Chris Wilcox and Roger Mason Jr. all returned? But the recruiting classes will make this league better. Diaper dandies like Raymond Felton and Rashard McCants of North Carolina, Chris Bosh of Georgia Tech, Shavlik Randolph of Duke and others will boost the talent level. It will be a competitive season with plenty of balance. Duke, Virginia, N.C. State and defending national champ Maryland are all contenders. There's also the North Carolina story line, as coach Matt Doherty's Tar Heels try to rebuild and rebound.

3. SEC
This conference is loaded with talent. Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Kentucky could challenge for spots in the top 10 all season long. Mississippi State is a team to watch, with Mario Austin leading the way. Keep an eye on LSU as a sleeper to watch, as coach John Brady has assembled a nice nucleus. The SEC's top players include: Brett Nelson and Matt Bonner of Florida, Jarvis Hayes of Georgia, Maurice Williams and Erwin Dudley of Alabama, Keith Bogans of Kentucky and Austin That's an impressive list.

4. Pac-10
Arizona is my pick for No. 1, with UCLA and Oregon also solid teams with top-10 or top-20 potential. You can't count out USC, Stanford and Arizona State -- keep an eye on those teams. It's never easy to win at a place like California. Having the three Lukes (Ridnour and Jackson of Oregon plus Walton of Arizona), and talented Jasons (Gardner of Arizona and Kapono of UCLA) strengthens the talent base out West.

5. Big East
This is a tough league. Pittsburgh has every starter returning and is the favorite, led by Brandin Knight and Julius Page. But this will be a very competitive race. Connecticut has lots of talent, and coach Jim Calhoun's Huskies will be in the hunt. Think about the conference's other tough teams ... Syracuse has one of the best diaper dandies in Carmelo Anthony. Boston College returns Troy Bell and Ryan Sidney. Georgetown has All-Rolls Royce forward Michael Sweetney. Notre Dame has super soph Chris Thomas. St. John's has a dynamite backcourt with Marcus Hatten and diaper dandy Elijah Ingram. Villanova has one of the best recruiting classes in the nation. That's eight talented teams. And Seton Hall can be dangerous with Andre Barrett and John Allen. There's depth galore and few easy Ws in the Big East.