Conference Analytics
Do Power 4 conferences handle adversity better than mid-majors? Compare drought frequency, average duration, and win percentage across all 31 D1 conferences in the 2025-26 season.
| # | Conference | Drought Index | Droughts/Game | Avg Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NECMost Drought-Prone | 94 | 1.69 | 4:01 |
| 2 | MEAC | 86 | 1.75 | 3:57 |
| 3 | America East | 83 | 1.77 | 3:55 |
| 4 | Southland | 75 | 1.61 | 3:57 |
| 5 | MAAC | 74 | 1.73 | 3:53 |
| 6 | Patriot | 70 | 1.66 | 3:54 |
| 7 | Ohio Valley | 67 | 1.48 | 3:57 |
| 8 | Sun BeltG5 | 65 | 1.54 | 3:55 |
| 9 | SWAC | 65 | 1.43 | 3:58 |
| 10 | Missouri Valley | 63 | 1.42 | 3:57 |
| 11 | Conference USAG5 | 57 | 1.42 | 3:55 |
| 12 | Conference USAG5 | 54 | 1.47 | 3:53 |
| 13 | WCC | 50 | 1.42 | 3:52 |
| 14 | Southern | 50 | 1.40 | 3:53 |
| 15 | Ivy League | 49 | 1.43 | 3:52 |
| 16 | MACG5 | 49 | 1.29 | 3:56 |
| 17 | Atlantic 10 | 47 | 1.48 | 3:50 |
| 18 | WAC | 47 | 1.40 | 3:52 |
| 19 | Mountain WestG5 | 47 | 1.30 | 3:55 |
| 20 | Big West | 44 | 1.36 | 3:52 |
| 21 | ASUN | 43 | 1.38 | 3:51 |
| 22 | Big TenP4 | 42 | 1.35 | 3:52 |
| 23 | Big 12P4 | 39 | 1.27 | 3:53 |
| 24 | Big South | 37 | 1.32 | 3:51 |
| 25 | AmericanG5 | 36 | 1.35 | 3:49 |
| 26 | Big East | 36 | 1.26 | 3:52 |
| 27 | Horizon | 35 | 1.23 | 3:52 |
| 28 | Big Sky | 34 | 1.20 | 3:53 |
| 29 | Summit | 31 | 1.23 | 3:51 |
| 30 | ACCP4 | 24 | 1.29 | 3:47 |
| 31 | SECP4Best | 0 | 0.97 | 3:47 |
| Conference | Teams | Droughts/Game | Avg Duration | Avg Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
America East | 9 | 1.77 | 3:55 | 42% |
MEAC | 8 | 1.75 | 3:57 | 40% |
MAAC | 13 | 1.73 | 3:53 | 49% |
NEC | 10 | 1.69 | 4:01 | 43% |
Patriot | 10 | 1.66 | 3:54 | 45% |
Southland | 12 | 1.61 | 3:57 | 47% |
Sun BeltG5 | 14 | 1.54 | 3:55 | 51% |
Atlantic 10 | 14 | 1.48 | 3:50 | 55% |
Ohio Valley | 11 | 1.48 | 3:57 | 48% |
Conference USAG5 | 12 | 1.47 | 3:53 | 52% |
Ivy League | 8 | 1.43 | 3:52 | 51% |
SWAC | 12 | 1.43 | 3:58 | 41% |
Missouri Valley | 11 | 1.42 | 3:57 | 53% |
Conference USAG5 | 13 | 1.42 | 3:55 | 52% |
WCC | 12 | 1.42 | 3:52 | 54% |
Southern | 10 | 1.40 | 3:53 | 49% |
WAC | 7 | 1.40 | 3:52 | 53% |
ASUN | 12 | 1.38 | 3:51 | 47% |
Big West | 11 | 1.36 | 3:52 | 51% |
AmericanG5 | 13 | 1.35 | 3:49 | 52% |
Big TenP4 | 18 | 1.35 | 3:52 | 58% |
Big South | 9 | 1.32 | 3:51 | 49% |
Mountain WestG5 | 12 | 1.30 | 3:55 | 54% |
MACG5 | 13 | 1.29 | 3:56 | 52% |
ACCP4 | 18 | 1.29 | 3:47 | 58% |
Big 12P4 | 16 | 1.27 | 3:53 | 60% |
Big East | 11 | 1.26 | 3:52 | 56% |
Horizon | 11 | 1.23 | 3:52 | 50% |
Summit | 9 | 1.23 | 3:51 | 49% |
Big Sky | 10 | 1.20 | 3:53 | 49% |
SECP4 | 16 | 0.97 | 3:47 | 60% |
Drought Rates by Conference
Conferences differ in drought rate by more than fans assume. The high-major leagues (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC) cluster low: their offenses are stable enough that 3-minute cold stretches are rare. The mid-majors (MWC, A-10, AAC) span a wider range, with top programs running at high-major rates and bottom programs leaking points. The low-majors are where droughts compound — weaker offenses go cold more often, weaker defenses fail to capitalize on opponents' droughts, and the results swing wider as a consequence.
The Conference Drought Power Rankings sort every D1 conference by average droughts-per-game in 2026, weighted by games played. The Conference Comparison chart overlays distributions for any two leagues. The All Conferences table is sortable on every column; pick a conference name to see every team in it ranked by drought rate, duration, and impact.
Why it matters at tournament time. Selection-committee bubble teams from the mid-major tier almost always have a worse drought profile than the at-large field — and that gap predicts March performance better than KenPom efficiency margin alone. Drought rate is a stand-in for offensive stability, and offensive stability is what survives a single-elimination format.
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