Which Conference Is Best Represented in This Year's NCAA Tournament?

Big 12

When we add up all the team's nERD scores in the Big 12, they come out with highest cumulative nERD score (99.18) of all the conferences, thanks, in part, to having the most teams (7) within the tournament this year. But since we're ranking by average nERD, the Big 12 is the second-best conference represented. The average Big 12 team has a 14.17 nERD, which puts them 1.23 points behind the average team in the ACC.

The best team in the Big 12, with a 16.08 nERD, is Kansas, and they secured a 2 seed in the tournament after losing to Iowa State in the conference tournament's championship game. Iowa State used that to gain a 3 seed in the big dance, and two other teams (Baylor and Oklahoma) got two of the other 3 seeds.

With seven teams in the dance, this is the second year in a row and third since 2010 for the Big 12 to have that many teams place in the tournament. Although, it's important to note that no team from the Big 12 has gotten out of the Elite 8 since 2012.