Big Ten basketball has been bizarre this season. As we know, the conference lacks elite teams (Michigan?), but it has five solid teams and is relatively strong at the bottom (with all teams ranked no worse than NW's 123 ranking in Kenpom); hence the wackiness. 

By comparison, several ACC teams look like they could win a national championship (e.g., Syracuse, Duke, UVA), but the ACC also has three terrible teams - G Tech, BC, VT. The riches or rags syndrome is even more pronounced in the SEC and Pac 12.

Thing is, these other conferences will probably get better media spin in March as a result, because they only care about which teams are left standing in the Elite 8, Final 4, etc. No one will care that the Big Ten amassed the greatest collection of NIT-caliber teams in CBB history. They'll also forget when the Big Ten kicks a-- in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament but loses steam in the second weekend.

Is conference depth overrated?