We are in the thick of the college basketball conference schedule, and teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack to solidify their respective spots in the NCAA Tournament. While it is easy to look at a list of these teams and know they are good, it is important to have an understanding of what makes them good.

Is it offense? Defense? Maybe both? When comparing our top 25 rankings to the teams who rank highest in offensive and defensive rating, it looks like offense is driving more success this year.

Of the top 25 teams in offensive rating, 14 claim a spot on our list. Meanwhile, when looking at the top 25 teams in defensive rating, only six teams get onto our list, with two of those appearing on both lists.

Nowadays, there are so many different statistics we use to show how good or bad any team is, and it's much more interesting to look at it in that fashion in order to understand a game as complex as basketball. Using statistics compiled on collegebasketballreference.com and espn.com, here is what makes each of the top 25 teams stand out from the rest of the country.