Closer to madness
Who is the top conference in March? Maybe start with the ACC.
Determining which conference has fared the best in the March the last three years can be a heated discussion.
An argument could be made for the Big 12, which has had the highest percentage of its members get into the NCAA Tournament during the three-year span. The conference only has 10 schools, yet it has received seven NCAA bids each year during that time.
But in some respects, March brings out the worst in the Big 12. Its 20-21 NCAA Tournament record over the last three seasons is the worst of any of the Power Five conferences.
The best? That honor belongs to the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The ACC has won 70 percent of its NCAA Tournament games the last three years and has sent 12 teams to the regional semifinals and seven to the regional finals during that stretch. No other conference has more than eight Sweet 16 representatives or five regional finalists over the last three years.
But before crowning the ACC, consider no league has separated itself when it comes to the most coveted accomplishment in the tourney: Final Four appearances and national championships.
The ACC, Big Ten and Southeastern Conference have each sent three teams to the Final Four over the last three years. The national championship has gone from the American Athletic Conference in 2014, to the ACC in 2015 and the Big East last year.
Here are the NCAA Tournament profiles for each of the Power Five leagues as well as the AAC and Big East since 2014 — the first postseason with the new version of the Big East.