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The debate about which conference is the best basketball league usually heats up in December.But the Big 12 coaches set fire to the debate early by staking claim as the best basketball conference Tuesday, some five months before the 2009-10 season begins. So the Big East, ACC, Pac-10 and SEC will have to just lineup for second best.
"I do think it's going to be the best with what we have retuning and the things that we've done in the last few years," Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon said during the Big 12 summer teleconference call Tuesday. "I've talked to some so-called experts out there and they think we are going to be the best league, too.
"As far as talk goes this season, we'll be No.1 and I think rightfully so. We have some really good teams at the top and we have some good depth so as a coach it's going to be a challenge but it's going to be exciting, You're going to be getting a lot of publicity throughout the year. "
Such bravado is fueled by the league's recent success in the NCAA tournament combined with the uncharacteristic return of NBA-quality talent for next season. Texas' Damion James, Kansas' Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, Oklahoma State's James Anderson and Oklahoma's Willie Warren all defied the recent trend of early entries into the NBA to remain in school.
During last season's NCAA tournament, the league went 6-0 in the first round, had three teams advance to the Sweet 16, two to the Elite Eight and even Baylor made it to the NIT championship. But the Big 12 coaches insist the proof is in the players next season where they several frontline guys and arguably the best depth of any of the major conferences.
"With those people returning for their junior and senior years for the most part, probably made this league unfortunately for coaches probably the best league that's going to be in the country this next year," said Nebraska coach Doc Sadler. "If the guys from Kansas would have left or James Anderson would have left or Damion James would have left, all of those guys are obviously very very good players that can make a difference in your league and probably some day will be playing in the NBA.
"All that does is add to the depth that everybody in the league wants you to have. It's going to be an interesting year. The league is going to be really fun to watch."
Kansas, which is a year removed from winning the national title and lost a hard-fought Sweet 16 contest with eventual national runner-up Michigan State this past season, returns all five starters and its top nine scorers to go along with a top five recruiting class. Can you say preseason No.1 lock?
But most believe Texas will be in the national contending conversation before the season is out with big man Dexter Pittman and James combining with what most are trumpeting as the best recruiting class in the country.
The loss of national player of the year Blake Griffin and several key players from last year's 30-6 Elite Eight team won't prevent Jeff Capel's Oklahoma Sooners from making some noise next season. OU is bringing in
a stellar recruiting class that includes Keith Gallon to combine with Warren.The Sooners, along with Texas A&M, Kansas State and Missouri could bring Big East-like competition to the Big 12 next season.
"Kansas and Texas are going to be very good, the rich get richer," said Texas Tech coach Pat Knight. "But with those two programs, I think you will see some teams that were struggling last year that are going to be better because they had young players and some teams did a good job recruiting.
"I just think this league is always going to be tough."
But Knight says the key to the national knowing how tough the league is is through exposure. The ACC and Big East seem to be the media favorites, while attention certainly seems destined to return to Kentucky next season with the arrival of John Calipari and a big-time recruiting class.
Not being afraid to say how good your league is, no matter how early, might be the first step in the big 12 getting the recognition it believes it deserves as the best basketball conference next season.
"We were talking about that in the coaches meetings, we have to get better exposure for this league because we really feel, if not the top basketball league it's going to be top two," Knight said. "We just have to do a better of promoting it from a conference standpoint and a coaches standpoint."
