Fact or Fiction: Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball

Each week, Rivals.com’s basketball analysts Jamie Shaw and Rob Cassidy examine three statements related to the basketball world and declare whether each statement is FACT or FICTION. This week, the duo takes on conference supremacy, COVID-19 cancellations and the top 2022 guard in the Lone Star State.

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Cassidy's take: FACT. When we talk about the Big 12, we talk about Kansas and Baylor, a pair of teams with very real national title aspirations. It might be the middle of the league that gives it the edge over other conferences, though. T. J. Otzelberger somehow has Iowa State sitting at 12-1 and No. 8 in the AP poll, while Texas and Texas Tech also look formidable, to say the least. The bottom of the league – schools like Kansas State and TCU – seem to be vastly improved as well. So while the league currently sits in third according to NET ranking, I don’t see another league that can stand toe-to-toe when it comes to true depth. We’ll see come tournament time, but there are at least four Big 12 teams capable of making a deep run in March.

Shaw's take: FICTION. The SEC has reigned supreme in football for a while. Now it is looking like the top dog in the basketball world, too. When you think of SEC basketball you think Kentucky, but according to the NET rankings Kentucky (15th) is currently fourth in the league with LSU (fifth), Auburn (sixth) and Tennessee (10th) each cracking the top 10 in the rankings. The coaches around the league are some of the best in the country, and their recruiting classes (i.e., the rosters' talent) rank among the country's best year after year. Baylor has done what it is supposed to do this season, coming off a dominant national championship performance last year, but give me the SEC in head-to-head matchups from the second-ranked team to the bottom of the league when matched up with the Big 12.

Cassidy's take: FACT. The rankings battle between Wallace and Arterio Morris is nothing new, as the two talented Lone Star State guards have been being compared to each other for years. Wallace began to close the gap this summer, in my opinion, and there doesn’t seem to be much separating the pair as things stand. Morris is the more explosive scorer, but Wallace has recently shown a level of polish and versatility I’m not sure Morris can match. One of the best defenders in the class, Wallace’s defense and ability to play both guard spots on the college level is what puts him over the top for me.

Shaw's take: FACT. First off, shout out to Texas for its 2022 guard class. Morris, Keyonte George, Wallace, Terrance Arceneaux, Anthony Black, Jordan Walsh and Brendan Hausen are all ranked among the nation's top 50 prospects, and all are from Texas. However, I do think it is safe to call Wallace the group's top dog. He has done nothing but win, and at the end of the day, a player's greatness is measured by their wins. Wallace is an elite perimeter defender; he is comfortable on the ball facilitating or off the ball scoring. With Wallace shoring up the top spot, who deserves the No. 2 spot will be a fun conversation for another day.

Cassidy's take: FICTION. "Impacted" is a tricky word here because we need to define what that means. I think we’re going to reach a point in 2022 where everyone decides to stop testing vaccinated and asymptomatic players. That said, the virus isn’t going away. I think we’ll be out of the woods when it comes to canceling games fairly soon, but players are going to be missing games with COVID-19 sporadically for the foreseeable future. The impact will diminish, sure, but the virus will still loom during the 2022-23 season.

Shaw's take: FICTION. With last year counting as a “COVID year," anyone on a college roster last season will essentially have the option for a do-over year. This extra year will affect roster management, which will, in turn, affect recruiting until every player from last year has graduated. As for the COVID virus going away, I am not going to pretend to know what things will look like 10 or 12 months down the road, especially when it comes to something like this. However, its impact will certainly be seen four or five years down the road with “COVID years” still available.