SEC Bracketology: 7 teams included in Lunardi’s preseason bracket

By
Blake Lovell
-
(Photo by Blake Lovell/Southeast Hoops)

With college basketball season near, it’s time to start navigating through thousands of bracket projections on the road to March.

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi released his official preseason bracket on Monday, which includes seven SEC teams in the field.

Kentucky, who enters the season ranked No. 2 in the country, is listed as one of the top seeds along with Kansas, Duke, and Gonzaga.

Meanwhile, Tennessee is projected as a No. 2 seed, and fellow defending co-SEC champion Auburn is a 3-seed.

One team that could emerge on the national scene this season is Mississippi State, and Lunardi seems to agree by rating the Bulldogs as a No. 5 seed entering the season.

LSU and Florida (both No. 7 seeds) round out the SEC teams that are projected to be safely in the field, while Alabama is projected to take part in the First Four event as a No. 11 seed against USC.

Texas A&M is the only other SEC team listed to be in consideration, as the Aggies currently land on Lunardi’s Next Four Out line.

Here’s the full list of matchups for SEC teams:

  • No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 16 Bethune-Cookman/Lehigh
  • No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Rider
  • No. 3 Auburn vs. No. 14 Georgia State
  • No. 5 Mississippi State vs. No. 12 Buffalo
  • No. 7 LSU vs. No. 10 UCF
  • No. 7 Florida vs. No. 10 Providence
  • No. 11 Alabama vs. No. 11 USC (First Four)

The 2019 Final Four will take place from Apr. 6-8 in Minneapolis.

For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.