SEATTLE, Wash. – The Barry University basketball teams play in the toughest Division II conference in the nation according to BennettRank. The Buccaneer are one of nine institutions that participate in the Sunshine State Conference, which was rated the toughest college basketball conference combined from top to bottom, for both men and women, during the 2013 season.

BennettRank's college conference rankings for the Division I, Division II, and Division III level men's and women's basketball teams strictly use statistical data obtained from actual team play during the season. This data is based on the average team ranking within each conference for the 2013 season.

On the men’s side, the SSC average was 104 points, 13 better than the second-place, 10-school Lone Star Conference from Texas. The Great Northwest Athletic Conference finished in third place with 10 teams from around the Northwestern United States, including Alaska and Simon Frasier in Canada.

On the women’s side, the nine league teams averaged a 91 ranking, eight points better than the 15-member Mid-America Athletic Association (MIAA). The South Atlantic Conference, with 10 teams in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina, finished third at 110.

Founded in 1975, the Sunshine State Conference has risen from a single sport organization to the Division II "Conference of National Champions." Since its inception, the conference has grown steadily in sports played, membership and national prominence.

See more at: http://bennettrankbasketball.com/conference-rankings-2013

Basketball College Conference Rankings – 2013
BENNETTRANK
D2 Men (303 Teams)

1. Sunshine State, 104
2. Lone Star, 117
3. Great Northwest Athletic, 117
4. Northeast-10, 122
5. Peach Belt Athletic, 123
6. Great Lakes Valley, 128
7. Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic, 132
8. Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic, 133
9. West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic, 137
10. Gulf South, 139
11. Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, 139
12. Conference Carolinas Athletic, 139
13. Heartland, 140
14. California Collegiate Athletic, 143
15. Great American, 144
16. Pennsylvania State Athletic, 152
17. South Atlantic, 158
18. Central Intercollegiate Athletic, 160
19. Pacific West, 169
20. Rocky Mountain Athletic, 176
21. Central Atlantic Collegiate, 191
22. East Coast, 203
23. Great Midwest Athletic, 206
24. Southern Intercollegiate Athletic, 224

Basketball College Conference Rankings – 2013
BENNETTRANK
D2 Women (305 Teams)

1. Sunshine State, 91
2. Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics, 99
3. South Atlantic, 110
4. Northeast-10, 125
5. Great Lakes Intercollegiate, 132
6. Peach Belt Athletic, 132
7. Pennsylvania State Athletic, 134
8. Great Lakes Valley, 139
9. Great American, 139
10. Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic, 139
11. California Collegiate Athletic, 149
12. Great Northwest Athletic, 154
13. Carolinas Athletic, 155
14. Gulf South, 157
15. East Coast, 160
16. Central Intercollegiate Athletic, 162
17. Lone Star, 162
18. Rocky Mountain Athletic, 167
19. Great Midwest Athletic, 170
20. Heartland, 170
21. West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic, 175
22. Pacific West, 183
23. Southern Intercollegiate Athletic, 202
24. Central Atlantic Collegiate, 204