TBI's Conference Calling 2014-15 College Basketball Conference Rankings (Part 1)

Oh, hai. Been a long time.

Normally around this time of year, I'm trying furiously to churn out a full-on conference preview for every league in America. And normally by opening day, I haven't even covered more than a dozen of the 32 conferences. If I were Joe Blow Single Guy writing in his underwear with Cheeto stains on his fingertips, I'd have a lot more time to finish these things, but kids and a wife have this annoying habit of asking for a little time with Daddy. And since none of you are paying any of my bills, the writing is usually let to slide.

Still, I'm always interested in how the conferences stack up at this time of year, which is why TBI is still going to turn out a full set of conference rankings. We all know who the worst league in America is (hint: it's one letter away from being SWAG, something that the conference in question almost totally lacks), and everybody's got their own perspective on who's the best. (Sit down, SEC fan. That ridiculous all-conference second-team ballot says it all.)

But now, here comes The Back Iron to settle it all. Strap in, kids, and prepare to bitch as we unveil the bottom half of the nation's leagues.

Below, you'll find TBI's picks for conference regular-season (and we'll presume tournament) champions, along with each league's expected Player of the Year and a potential Game Changer selection. The Game Changer may be a newcomer or returnee, but he'll certainly be a player who's not getting the publicity he deserves for his ability to shift the balance of power in his league.

Conference Calling's 2013-14 College Basketball Previews: #20 Patriot

The Patriot League itself is surely pleased with how it fared in the college basketball realignment domino game. New additions Boston University and Loyola (Md.) are strong programs that boast rising young coaches.

The membership, however, might be exasperated for the same reasons. Just when it seemed that the Lehigh/Bucknell stronghold was breaking with the departure of Lehigh's C.J. McCollum and Bucknell's Mike Muscala, here come a pair of teams fully equipped to win the race on their first lap.

Those two new members should, however, help the previous eight in one major regard: the RPI rating. Loyola and BU would have ranked third and fourth in the PL's Back Iron Index standings. The two faced off in the first round of the CIT, with Loyola's win propelling it to the quarterfinals.

Stronger league opposition creates a tide that raises all boats come Selection Sunday. When a victory is harder to come by, the computers give greater credit, making the selection committee take greater notice.

So forgive the other eight PL members if they don't roll out the red carpet for BU and Loyola, but know that whoever takes the NCAA bid will be glad the league was stronger for the additions.

Most likely to take that bid? Read on after the jump.

EDITOR'S NOTE: We're going into Super-Condensed Team Capsule Mode in an effort to cover each conference before opening night. Apologies to our top 20's fans, but I want to get the series finished this year.

(All stats and rankings via StatSheet.com unless otherwise noted.)

Loyola (Md.) Heading for Patriot League With Interesting New Coaches

On Friday, the Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds promoted assistant G.G. Smith to head coach, replacing longtime boss Jimmy Patsos. Patsos left for Loyola's former MAAC rival Siena, jumping off the ship before it sailed off to the Patriot League.

Smith, the son and former point guard of new Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith, made his first assistant coaching hire on Tuesday, and it's a name that Maryland basketball fans will know well.

Conference Calling: Players to Watch for Championship Week (Part I)

Conference tournaments begin in the next few hours, with the Big South tipping off near Myrtle Beach and the Horizon League playing its openers tonight.

It's about to get real, kids.

In honor of those events starting, let's examine each league and find one player who can determine his team's fate as relates to an automatic NCAA Tournament bid. We'll hit the first 10 today, the next 10 on Thursday and finish up on Saturday, by which point most brackets should be close to set.

Tournaments will be presented in the order they begin after the jump.

Conference Calling's 31 in 31 Series: 2012-13 Patriot League Preview

The Conference Calling 31 in 31 preview series will examine each of the NCAA Division I auto-bid conferences (so no Great West or independents), one per day, leading up to college basketball's opening day on November 9. 

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Did you know what conference Lehigh was in before March 16th? Hell, did you know what state Lehigh was in before March 16th?

Come on now, don't lie. I'd like our relationship to be built on a foundation of trust.

While Lehigh was becoming a national darling by toppling Duke in the NCAA tournament, Bucknell players and fans could only sit back and shake their heads. The Bison had the regular-season title. Instead of C.J. McCollum draining threes over Austin Rivers, it should have been Mike Muscala dunking over the entire damn Plumlee family, including posterizing Grandma so hard her dentures landed in some cheerleader's cleavage.

Alas, conference tournaments need something to justify their existence. At least Lehigh had had a worthy regular season. If the Bison had lost to a team that just had a Western Kentucky-type season, they'd still be putting out burning couches or whatever civil disobedience they get up to in Lewisburg.

Another season, however, brings one more chance at revenge for the Bison. One more round of David (McCallum) vs. Goliath (Muscala). Bucknell has two regular-season titles and one NCAA bid to Lehigh's one regular-season crown and two tournaments. To even it up, it's time for Lehigh to take the season and Bucknell to own March.

Is that what's coming? Read on after the jump.