It’s June, which means it’s time to start preparing for the NCAA Tournament next March.
Or at least that’s what ESPN’s Joe Lunardi thinks, as his newest bracket has officially been released.
He released the latest bracket to reflect his thoughts on the potential NCAA Tournament field following transfers and early NBA draft entrants around the country.
This particular bracket includes five SEC teams in the field:
- No. 1 Kentucky
- No. 2 Florida
- No. 9 Vanderbilt
- No. 10 Alabama
- No. 11 Arkansas (Play-in game)
South Carolina and Missouri are also included in Lunardi’s Next Four Out.
Lovell’s Analysis:
Before anyone starts yelling and screaming about their team being seeded too low or being left out altogether, let’s take a deep breath and look at the calendar.
It’s June. The NCAA Tournament is nine months away.
Lunardi has no clue what the bracket will look like next March, and neither does anyone else.
But that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy a look into the future to project which teams seem to have the pieces in place to make the postseason.
Upon first glance, there are a few things that stand out for me.
Kentucky and Florida are about where I’d place them at the moment. Both have the potential to be Top 10 teams this season given the assortment of talent on each roster.
Vanderbilt feels like an NCAA Tournament team based on its returning roster, but replacing Luke Kornet’s production on both ends of the floor will be a challenging task.
If you’ve read my early observations piece, you know that I don’t foresee Alabama as a 10-seed. I think the Tide are built to be a Top 20 team with a high ceiling.
I agree with Arkansas being in the field, even if the play-in game feels a little low.
Texas A&M not being in the field is the biggest head-scratcher of all. Billy Kennedy’s squad is loaded, and I have the Aggies being one the SEC’s top teams this season.
But, just to repeat: it is June. There’s no reason for anyone to get frazzled by a June bracketology that will look nothing like the championship week bracketology nine months from now.
Still, it’s good to see the SEC get some love nationally.
Of course, I think six or seven SEC teams make it into the field come Selection Sunday.