Ranking the Power 6 Conferences by Returning Minutes
As college basketball rosters finalize with November rapidly approaching, offseason statistics like roster continuity and returning minutes become crucial factors in determining potential team success. But what about from a broader lens?
We rank the power six conferences in college hoops based on the percentage of returning minutes the conference will see in 2023-24.
1. Big Ten – 53.8% of minutes
It’s quite a shock to see such a major conference able to retain so much talent. Between NBA prospects and the massively popular transfer portal, you would expect roster turnover to be well over 50 percent for a conference with so much talent. While the conference hasn’t seen high levels of success in the NCAA Tournament recently, they are lapping the field in returning talent, which could bode well in 2023-24.
2. ACC – 50.5% of minutes
While the ACC has been struggling to produce elite teams over the past few seasons, it’s encouraging that the conference is retaining talent at a decent rate compared to its power conference counterparts. With Duke, North Carolina, and Miami each returning plenty of talent from last year’s squads, the top of the ACC could make a serious leap in 2023-24.
3. Pac-12 – 49.4% of minutes
In what appears to be a grand finale for the Pac-12, the conference returns a fair amount of talent that should make the top programs in the conference competitive nationally. USC, Arizona, and even Oregon and Colorado are returning some star players. Boogie Ellis, Oumar Ballo, Tristan da Silva, and N’Faly Dante return to the “Conference of Champions.”
4. SEC – 45.2% of minutes
The SEC has developed into one of the three best conferences in the country, but it’s falling victim to a fair amount of movement. While the likes of Kentucky, Alabama, and Georgia are bringing in strong recruiting classes, the lack of continuity with the rosters could mean slow starts from these programs.
5. Big East – 41.6% of minutes
The Big East has become the middle child of power conferences. While it’s often a more robust grouping than the Pac-12 and ACC, it falls short of the talent and programs within the Big 12 and Big Ten. Its struggle to retain players may stem from its lack of legitimate college basketball blue bloods, but the emergence of Villanova and UConn in the past decade is promising for the Big East’s long-term future.
6. Big 12 – 39.6% of minutes
The Big 12 is constantly within the debate as the best conference in college hoops, but roster turnover has been prevalent in the conference this offseason. With under 40 percent of the conference’s minutes returning, it may mean the Big 12 is a conference to fade early on in the 2023-24 college basketball campaign if their respective rosters are continuing to mesh.
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