A year ago, the SEC ran away with the prize of top conference in college basketball by producing a whopping 14 NCAA Tournament teams. That remarkable Selection Sunday was made possible by a 59-19 record against teams from the other four high-major leagues. This time around, the league breakdown is far more even.

Duke (10-0) continues to lead the way in the top-25 polls as the No. 3 team in the nation. The Blue Devils are joined in the rankings by No. 11 Louisville (8-1), No. 15/14 UNC (8-1) and No. 25/24 Virginia (9-1).

This episode features The Athletic's Brendan Marks to discuss who is shaping up as the biggest competition as Louisville basketball begins ACC play.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips was pleased with his league’s start to the 2025-26 season. That echoed preseason optimism in another AP interview, where he cited school’s enhanced investments and efforts to improve scheduling toward boosting tournament-worthy résumés.

Early conference bragging rights go to the ACC and Pac-12 after the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, as the two leagues lost only two games en route to placing eight teams in the Sweet 16. LEAGUES WITH FOUR OR MORE BIDS (Teams in italics still alive ...