1. What's the best conference in the land? It's not the ACC (too top-heavy) or the SEC (too Kentucky-heavy), and it's not the Pac-12 (nary a team in the Top 25). That leaves the Big Ten (five teams in the Top 25), the Big East (also five in the Top 25) and the Big 12 (three in the top seven). For quality at the top, we'll say the Big 12. For overall depth, we'll say the Big Ten.
2. Who's the best freshman in the land? Take your pick between Kentucky Wildcats. Center Anthony Davis -- he of the uni-brow so famous it's already a feature on Bluegrass T-shirts -- could be the first player drafted this summer, but forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been the Big Blue's MVP to date, scoring 24 points against Louisville and 17 against Tennessee.
3. Does Georgia State, which is tied for the Colonial Athletic Association lead, have to win the conference tournament to reach the NCAA? Yes. Even though the CAA received three NCAA bids last season, Georgia State can't make it as at-large team. Its RPI is, according to ESPN Insider, tied for 172nd in the nation, and its non-conference strength of schedule is dead last. The NCAA committee, which makes a big deal of non-conference strength of schedule, would never reward such a team.
