College basketball heating up

We are halfway through February and rapidly approaching my favorite time of year, March Madness.

As the regular season of men’s college basketball is winding down and fans all over the country are preparing to fill out their NCAA tournament brackets, let us take a look at the top four conferences in the country this year.

South Eastern Conference

The top-ranked Florida Gators (23-2, 10-0 SEC), led by center Joakim Noah and forward Corey Brewer, are playing like a team that desperately wants to defend their national title. The Gators have won 16 games in a row and are on track to win their first SEC regular season title in six years.

Even with the shaky play down the stretch against the Kentucky Wildcats (18-6, 7-3 SEC) on Saturday, the Gators still look like the team to beat. In lieu of a complete meltdown, the Gators are a lock for a No. 1 seed in the tournament, and are one of my picks to make it to the Final Four.

Atlantic Coast Conference

The North Carolina Tar Heels (22-3, 8-2 ACC) have shown that they are the deepest and most athletically talented team in all of college basketball. Their inconsistency in bringing defensive energy to the court every night has been their primary weakness.

Sophomore forward Tyler Hansbrough will definitely be a finalist for the Naismith College Player of the Year award, and freshman forward Brandan Wright will probably take the ACC Freshman of the Year honor. This being said, the Tar Heels have no reason not to go all the way in the tournament, but a team that is riddled with freshmen and sophomores tends to lack the experience and savvy it takes to go all the way.

Look for the Tar Heels to be given a No. 1 seed and they should make it to the Final Four, but if they do not play up to their potential they could end up falling to another mid-major like they did to George Mason last year.

Big-10

The Wisconsin Badgers (24-2, 10-1 Big-10) are a seasoned team with juniors and seniors from top to bottom. Aside from a late-season loss to the Indiana Hoosiers (17-6, 7-3) on the road, the Badgers have been the most consistent team in college basketball.

The Badgers have quality wins against the Ohio State Buckeyes (22-3, 10-1 Big-10) and the surging Pittsburgh Panthers (22-3, 10-1 Big East) and are tied with the Buckeyes for the best record in the Big Ten Conference. Their rematch with the Buckeyes in two weeks will probably decide who is the best team in the conference.

I personally think the Badgers have the edge based on experience, and I think they will be given a No. 1 seed when the tournament rolls around. Senior forward Alando Tucker will surely be a finalist for college player of the year.

Pac-10

The UCLA Bruins (21-3, 10-2 Pac-10) have been ranked in the top five all season and still are the team to beat in the Pacific-10 Conference. However, how the Bruins will size up against teams from other conferences is arguable.

After getting routed in the first half of Saturday’s game against West Virginia (19-5, 7-4 Big East), the Bruins managed to scrape their way back to a respectable 70-65 loss at the hands of the less talented Mountaineers.

As long as junior guard Arron Afflalo brings his A-game, the Bruins have a chance to return to the championship game. Watch out for the Pac-10 tournament to determine where the Bruins will fall in the seedings, but I still think they will secure themselves a top spot.

Best conference?

There is always a lot of talk about these power conferences beating up on each other during the season, and to some degree that is true. Some have decided that the Pac-10 is the most powerful, having five teams ranked in the top 25 (UCLA, Washington State, Oregon, Arizona and USC) and Stanford on the outside trying to sneak their way in. The Pac-10 teams do beat up on each other and the Bruins are clearly the best team.

Now, how have Pac-10 teams shaped up against the other conferences?

The Pac-10 has a few quality wins over other conferences. The Bruins beat Kentucky and Wake Forest. The Ducks beat Georgetown. On the other hand, UCLA just lost to West Virginia, and the Tar Heels thumped Arizona earlier this season. Washington is scheduled to play Pittsburgh on Saturday, and it will not be pretty.

Overall, I do not think we can say that the Pac-10 is the best conference. If anything, the Pac-10 is right up there with the ACC, the Big-10 and the Big East. That says something in itself. When the tournament starts, we will see who gets sent home. Only after it is all said and done can we say who is the best.