For the Big 12 Conference, the Sweet 16 is looking very sweet as the league had a very strong showing during the opening week of the NCAA Tournament.

As I mentioned in my article last week, the Big 12 was in dire need of a strong showing after last year’s debacle in which only two teams made it to the Sweet 16. Both of those teams ended up losing, leaving the Big 12 with no representation the Elite 8, despite being regarded as the best conference last year. That performance combined with a lackluster showing in non-conference play this year has created a narrative that the Big 12 is no longer the king of college basketball anymore.

Fortunately for Big 12 fans, players, and coaches, a number teams in the conference stepped up, which has pushed the Big 12 back into the spotlight and contention as the best conference this year. The league can take another big step forward if multiple teams can reach the Elite 8.

Currently, the SEC has a record 7 teams still in the tournament, while the Big 12 and Big 10 have four teams each. The ACC, which has had a very bad year, just has one team left in the tournament (Duke).

However, when you take a closer look, the Big 12 has done the best with 57% of its teams advancing to the Sweet 16. This is the highest of all the other conferences, showcasing the Big 12’s talent. As they say, quality over quantity!

This makes it even more absurd that West Virginia was left out of the tournament. Most national prognosticators had the Mountaineers safely in the tournament, however, the NCAA Committee gave the Big 12 conference the shaft and pumped as many SEC teams as they could, despite several teams (Georgia, Oklahoma, etc.) not even being remotely deserving — and it showed in the tournament.

Nevertheless, the Big 12 getting a record-tying four teams in the Sweet 16 is terrific achievement for the conference. The last time that happened was back in 2002 when Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma all made it. Of those four teams, only two advanced to the Elite 8 — Kansas and Oklahoma. Let’s hope Arizona, BYU, Houston, and Texas Tech have better luck and can keep the momentum going to prove the critics wrong and restore the Big 12’s reputation as the king of college basketball.

NCAA Tournament

This year’s tournament has been very different in that there aren’t any Cinderella’s left. All 16 teams come from just four power conferences. This year’s tournament marks the first time in history that the Sweet 16 consists entirely of teams from major conferences since the NCAA expanded to 32 teams in 1975. At the same time, it’s not surprising considering conference realignment, giving leagues such as the Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC more teams.

Two years ago, Houston was in the AAC, and BYU was in the West Coast Conference. Last year, Arizona was in the Pac-12. That would have added three additional conferences to the tournament this year.

In addition, the Sweet 16 will have no team seeded No. 11 or higher, the first time since 2007. As you may recall, there’s been multiple No. 16 seeds upsetting No. 1 seeds, and No. 11 seeds making it to the Final Four. But not this year.

On a side note, I don’t believe NIL is killing college basketball. We had a number of upsets in the first round (Colorado State, Drake, McNeese, New Mexico, etc.), and there were several near upsets in the second round as well. Some years there’s a lot of upsets and some years there’s not.

Jay Bilas summed it up nicely.

Follow Justin Giles on Twitter and Fan Insider on Facebook.

If you enjoyed this article, consider subscribing to my newsletter! It’s FREE, and your support will allow me to keep creating unique content that you won’t find anywhere else.

No. 6 BYU Advances To Sweet 16 With Thrilling Win Over No. 3 Wisconsin

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR