TruRanking's conference strength ratings measure the overall quality of each Division I basketball conference by aggregating the individual team ratings of all member programs. Updated throughout the season, these rankings provide an objective look at which conferences carry the most depth and competitive balance.
How Conference Strength Is Measured
Rating Methodology
Each conference's overall rating is the average of all member team TruRanking ratings. This captures both top-end talent and overall depth, since a conference with one elite team but many weak programs will rate lower than one with consistent quality across the board. Additional metrics include aggregate win-loss records against non-conference opponents, average offensive and defensive efficiency, and mean strength of schedule.
Why Conference Rankings Matter
Conference strength is a key factor in NCAA Tournament selection and seeding. The Selection Committee evaluates teams partly based on the quality of their conference, which affects the perceived value of wins and losses. A team with a strong conference record in a top-rated league carries more weight than the same record in a weaker conference. Use these rankings to evaluate bubble teams, understand seed-line decisions, and assess which conference tournament automatic bids are likely to cause upsets in March.
Navigating This Page
The overview table ranks all 31 conferences by composite strength. Click any conference name to see a detailed breakdown of every team in that conference, including individual ratings, records, offensive and defensive efficiency, and strength of schedule. You can also switch between the current season and previous seasons using the dropdown selector.
NCAA Conference Strength Rankings
Rank: Overall conference rank; Conference: Full Conference Name; Rating: Avg Conference Rating; Teams: Number of teams; Record: Aggregate W-L Record; Offense: Avg Off Efficiency; Defense: Avg Def Efficiency; Eff Mrg: Avg Eff Margin; SOS: Avg SOS %ile
| Rank | Conference | Rating | Teams | Record | Offense | Defense | Eff Margin | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEC | 46.51 | 16 | 337-220 | 108.21 | 100.717 | 7.51 | 89.13 |
| 2 | Big 12 | 44.52 | 16 | 340-211 | 103.54 | 96.61 | 6.92 | 91.11 |
| 3 | Big Ten | 42.53 | 18 | 374-248 | 105.22 | 98.811 | 6.34 | 89.52 |
| 4 | ACC | 40.34 | 18 | 362-242 | 103.93 | 97.54 | 6.53 | 86.24 |
| 5 | Big East | 34.35 | 11 | 215-158 | 101.85 | 97.43 | 4.35 | 79.15 |
| 6 | Mountain West | 25.36 | 11 | 194-170 | 101.48 | 100.114 | 1.49 | 77.36 |
| 7 | Atlantic 10 | 24.97 | 14 | 254-205 | 100.016 | 97.22 | 2.86 | 69.27 |
| 8 | West Coast | 20.78 | 13 | 225-192 | 100.213 | 97.85 | 2.47 | 60.89 |
| 9 | Missouri Valley | 17.69 | 11 | 184-171 | 99.917 | 98.37 | 1.68 | 54.111 |
| 10 | AAC | 17.310 | 13 | 212-200 | 100.611 | 100.415 | 0.210 | 61.38 |
| 11 | Conference USA | 12.011 | 12 | 175-185 | 100.114 | 101.019 | -0.914 | 55.210 |
| 12 | CAA | 9.812 | 13 | 204-200 | 98.822 | 99.213 | -0.411 | 42.015 |
| 13 | WAC | 9.513 | 7 | 107-106 | 96.424 | 98.06 | -1.616 | 46.713 |
| 14 | Ivy | 9.414 | 8 | 106-110 | 101.010 | 101.321 | -0.412 | 47.112 |
| 15 | MAC | 8.415 | 13 | 197-197 | 100.312 | 101.020 | -0.813 | 43.514 |
| 16 | Big West | 6.716 | 11 | 165-177 | 97.423 | 98.610 | -1.215 | 37.616 |
| 17 | BSC | 3.417 | 9 | 122-147 | 99.618 | 101.824 | -2.117 | 34.220 |
| 18 | Sun Belt | 3.318 | 14 | 212-228 | 99.419 | 101.522 | -2.219 | 34.719 |
| 19 | SLC | 1.719 | 12 | 165-201 | 96.225 | 98.812 | -2.620 | 32.122 |
| 20 | Big Sky | 1.620 | 10 | 133-165 | 100.115 | 102.226 | -2.118 | 30.624 |
| 21 | HL | 0.921 | 11 | 154-182 | 101.76 | 104.329 | -2.721 | 35.618 |
| 22 | Southern | -1.522 | 10 | 136-166 | 101.77 | 105.130 | -3.523 | 31.223 |
| 23 | SUM | -2.223 | 9 | 116-153 | 99.120 | 103.027 | -3.924 | 32.221 |
| 24 | MAAC | -2.524 | 13 | 193-211 | 95.126 | 98.38 | -3.222 | 28.725 |
| 25 | ASUN | -5.025 | 12 | 156-210 | 101.39 | 106.331 | -5.027 | 36.417 |
| 26 | Ohio Valley | -7.526 | 11 | 141-182 | 93.827 | 98.39 | -4.626 | 20.426 |
| 27 | PL | -9.527 | 10 | 134-180 | 98.921 | 103.128 | -4.225 | 19.529 |
| 28 | Northeast | -14.828 | 10 | 120-182 | 93.828 | 100.416 | -6.628 | 15.431 |
| 29 | America East | -15.229 | 9 | 103-167 | 93.629 | 100.718 | -7.129 | 19.928 |
| 30 | SWAC | -18.530 | 12 | 138-233 | 92.530 | 102.025 | -9.530 | 20.327 |
| 31 | MEAC | -22.331 | 8 | 78-153 | 90.431 | 101.523 | -11.131 | 19.530 |