Was interested in conference trends for basketball over time.
Below chart shows average conference kenpom ratings for general 5 year periods for the 6 conferences that were generally highest during that time. Observations:
1. SEC has generally been on the lower end of conferences - this year is an aberration from historical performance. Time will tell if it is truly a step up for them or a short-term blip
2. ACC was the best conference for the first ~15 years of this chart - but has been on a downward trend and fallen substantially over the past 5 years
3. Conversely, Big 12 was at or near the bottom at the start of this chart, and the past 10 years has been the best conference
4. PAC 12 was consistently at the lower end of these ratings
5. Big Ten consistently in the top half for the whole time period
6. Big East has had a very stable rating over the past 20 years (kind of middle of the pack)