Tag: Bracketology

Gators hoops slips a spot in ESPN’s updated 2025 bracketolgy

It’s still way early but the Gators lost a little ground in Lunardi’s postseason prognostications for 2025.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his latest bracketology update on Tuesday with his most recent prognostications seeing quite a few moves.

The Florida Gators, who have been firmly in the mix this offseason, fell one spot this time around in the West Region — based in San Francisco — to a No. 7 seed. They are lined up with the No. 10 Maryland Terrapins in the opening round, while the No. 2 Baylor Bears and No. 15 Milwaukee Panthers in the other bracket played in Denver.

In Lunardi’s last submission, the Orange and Blue were a No. 6 seed in that same bracket.

Looking at the rest of the SEC,  the Alabama Crimson Tide are the No. 3 seed in the Midwest, followed by the Auburn Tigers (No. 3, West), Texas Longhorns (No. 4, East), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 4, South), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 5, West), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 8, East) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 8, Midwest).

The Missouri Tigers are among the first four out.

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Joe Lunardi speaks to ACC basketball coaches at spring meetings

Longtime bracket analyst Joe Lunardi reportedly talked to the ACC basketball coaches about how to improve their odds for at-large NCAA Tournament bids.

In the wake of snubs like an undefeated Florida State missing the College Football Playoff and Duke softball just earning the 10th seed in the NCAA Tournament, the ACC spring meetings had some ideas to earn more national favor.

During the conference’s spring meetings on Tuesday, longtime ESPN bracket analyst Joe Lunardi apparently spoke to the men’s basketball coaches for insight on how to earn more at-large bids. The Raleigh News & Observer’s Andrew Carter reported the meeting on social media.

Last year, the ACC earned four at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament. North Carolina, one of the four No. 1 seeds, maintained a steady grip as a top-five team all season, and 4-seed Duke and 6-seed Clemson both made the Elite Eight.

Outside of that, however, only conference tournament champion NC State made the first round. Virginia, who won the national title in 2019, earned a spot in the First Four play-in games.

Pittsburgh and Wake Forest both missed the tournament despite winning 22 and 21 games, respectively, and both sitting inside the top 35 in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric. They were the second- and third-highest teams left out.

Lunardi was apparently invited by the conference to speak with the coaches.

Florida switches regions in ESPN’s updated too-early bracketology

The Gators are still firmly in play for the NCAA Tournament next March but Joe Lunardi did a little bit of shuffling in his update.

The college basketball regular season is still well off in the distance but that has not stopped ESPN’s Joe Lunardi from issuing his too-early bracketology for next year’s NCAA Tournament. The good news for Florida Gators fans is that their team is firmly in the mix after a successful 2023-24 campaign.

According to Lunardi, the Orange and Blue are projected to earn a No. 6 seed — same as in his last update — but moving over from the South to the West Region, the latter of which is based in San Francisco. That matches Florida up with either the Wisconsin Badgers or NC State Wolfpack in the opening round held in Denver; the Baylor Bears (No. 3) and Weber State Wildcats (No. 14) are in the adjacent bracket.

Looking at the rest of the SEC,  the Alabama Crimson Tide are the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, followed by the Auburn Tigers (No. 3, South), Texas Longhorns (No. 4, East), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 4, West), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 5, South), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 8, Midwest) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 9, East). The Missouri Tigers are the first team out while the Vanderbilt Commodores are among the next four out.

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Duke loses top overall seed in ESPN’s early 2025 Bracketology

Despite six top-50 players and two big-time transfers already committed, the Blue Devils lost the top spot in the 2025 bracket projection.

According to longtime ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi, the Duke Blue Devils are no longer the team to beat in 2025.

Lunardi released an updated way-too-early 2025 bracket projection, and Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks overtook Jon Scheyer as the top overall seed.

Duke will welcome Cooper Flagg, the top recruit in the country and the presumed No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, and five other top-50 freshmen in the 2024 recruiting class. The Blue Devils also got commitments from Maliq Brown of Syracuse and Mason Gillis of Purdue out of the transfer portal, and the team stood atop Lunardi’s initial 2025 projection.

Kansas, however, returned All-American center Hunter Dickinson after many expected the 2023-24 season to be his last. Self also wooed Alabama’s Rylan Griffen, Wisconsin’s AJ Storr, and Florida’s Riley Kugel, among others.

“All (the portal additions) have NCAA tournament experience and will certainly help the Jayhawks erase the injury-riddled conclusion to their 2023-24 campaign,” Lunardi wrote.

Duke remained a No. 1 seed in the projection, now slotting into the East region.

Florida basketball’s seed in ESPN’s early bracketology will surprise you

The Gators are in the thick of the tournament discussion months ahead of the season’s start.

Florida basketball had a heck of a run during the 2023-24 campaign that unfortunately fell a bit short of the potential the team possessed. Nonetheless. the Gators made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the Todd Golden era while also making a deep push in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

While the Orange and Blue lost some key players to eligibility expiration — plus the inevitable loss of center Micah Handlogten for the foreseeable future — the national sports media has been fairly bullish on the upcoming edition of Golden’s gang. Having already snagged a solid replacement from the transfer portal, things are looking good in Gainesville.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi recently released his very early projections for next March’s Big Dance, with Florida earning a No. 6 seed in the South Region based in Atlanta, Georgia, with its opening game against either the No. 11 Clemson Tigers or Providence Friars in Cleveland, Ohio.

Looking at the rest of the SEC,  the Alabama Crimson Tide are the No. 1 seed in the South, followed by the Auburn Tigers (No. 3, Midwest), Texas Longhorns (No. 4, East), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 5, West), Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 8, East), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 9, Midwest), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 10, East) and Missouri Tigers (No. 11, West).

South Carolina is one of the last four byes, while Missouri is one of the last four in. The LSU Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels are among the first four out while the Georgia Bulldogs are in the next four out.

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Duke takes top overall seed in Joe Lunardi’s early 2025 bracketology

With Cooper Flagg leading the top recruiting class in the country, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi thinks the 2025 NCAA Tournament runs through Duke.

The 2023-24 basketball season is still fresh in everyone’s memory, but it’s never too early to gaze toward the 2024-25 campaign.

ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi certainly agrees as he released an early look at the projected 2025 NCAA Tournament field on Tuesday, and he slotted Duke in as his top overall seed.

Fresh off a run to the Elite Eight last season and an ACC Tournament title two years ago, head coach Jon Scheyer welcomes No. 1 overall recruit Cooper Flagg, projected lottery pick Khaman Maluach, and two other five-star prospects in an esteemed freshman class.

Combine the new pedigree with Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster, two 2023-24 starters, already announcing their return, and it’s easy to see why so many experts think the team to beat next season plays in Durham.

The incredibly early bracket has Scheyer’s team atop the East region and playing the winner of Norfolk State and Central Connecticut from the First Four games.

Baylor, Connecticut, and Texas rounded out the top four seeds in Duke’s corner of the bracket. Kansas, Alabama, and Houston claimed the other three No. 1 seeds.

Will March Madness run through the Blue Devils next season? Duke fans will have to wait until the fall to get its first indications.

Notre Dame earns No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament, hosts Kent State first

Did you expect them to be seeded this high?

Not long ago, Notre Dame was seen as nothing more than a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Some bracketologies had the Irish as low as a No. 6. Since then, the Irish have won eight straight games and the ACC Tournament championship. That was enough for the selection committee to make them the No. 2 seed in Albany Regional 1., the highest seed for any ACC team.

The result is the Irish will get to host the first two rounds of March Madness. They’ll begin their run to a national championship against No. 15 seed Kent State. The winner of that game will face the winner of the other first-round game in South Bend between Ole Miss and Marquette. The Irish’s only previous meeting with the Golden Flashes was a 66-41 victory in the first round of the 1996 WNIT.

While the seeding isn’t a complete surprise, it’s an improvement from most bracketologists’ final projections. One of, if not the only one that had the Irish as a No. 2 seed was College Sports Madness. ESPN, CBS Sports and Her Hoop Stats all projected the Irish as a No. 3. Needless to say, the Irish did everything they needed to be a tournament host and then some.

The one hiccup for the Irish is that they were seeded in the same bracket as South Carolina, the top overall seed and heavy favorite to win the national championship. Perhaps seeing the Gamecocks in the season opener in Paris will give them an advantage for what to expect. But they have a few other games to win before it gets to that point, and that’s why they play them.

So make your plans to be in South Bend this coming weekend. The Irish will need all the support they can get as they begin that national title run.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Bracketology round-up: Michigan State basketball arrives to Selection Sunday

Follow along with what the bracketologists say is going to happen to Michigan State ahead of the selection show:

The time is here and it is officially Selection Sunday, unfortunately for Michigan State fans, it has turned into a stressful day of anticipation.

Quite frankly, coming into yesterday, there were four scenarios that Spartan fans did not want to see happen. Unfortunately, once again for MSU and it’s fans, all four scenarios happened and the bubble has shrunk drastically.

In unprecedented fashion, there has been five bids stolen over the past two days, turning the bubble into an absolute mess. On Friday, the Spartans were a lock and looking at a 9 or 10 seed. On Sunday morning, Dayton and the First Four might be looking like the best case scenario.

Luckily, putting Spartans fans at ease, for now, the bracketologists still love the Spartans chances of getting into the field of 68:

*this list will be updated throughout the day, heading into the selection show*

Bracket Matrix ranking: Not ranked

MSU’s seed: 9-seed vs Dayton

Click here to see USA Today’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 98

MSU’s seed: Last Four In – 10-seed

Click here to see ESPN’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 142

MSU’s seed: 10-seed – Last Four In

Click here to see CBS’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 75

MSU’s seed: 10-seed vs Clemson

Click here to read Fox’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 1

MSU’s seed: NO SUNDAY UPDATE YET, formerly 10-seed

*messaged Spartans Wire yesterday saying MSU had greater than 90% chance*

Click here to see Bracketometry’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 2

MSU’s seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see 1-3-1 Sports’ full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 22

MSU’s seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see T3’s bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 37 (newbie section)

MSU’s seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see JBR’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 54

MSU seed: Last Four In

Click here to see Graham Doeren’s bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 65

MSU seed: 11-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see Delphi’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 14 (newbie)

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see Projection Sports’ full bracket

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 20

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to read The Round Robin’s full bracket

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 9

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to read Bracksketblogs full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 10

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to read Scott’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: Not ranked

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see NKY’s full seed list

If there is anything Spartan fans can hold their hats on, to this point of the stressful day, is that 100% of the brackets submitted into the Bracket Matrix have the Spartans in the field. Continue to refresh the matrix to follow along the additional updated brackets:

Click here to see the whole Bracket Matrix

Florida a 5-seed in ESPN bracketology heading into SEC finals

Here’s where Florida sits in Lunardi’s bracketology ahead of the SEC Tournament Finals.

Todd Golden’s Florida basketball team has shown significant resolve during its Southeastern Conference Tournament run, overcoming an 18-point first-half deficit against the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday to seize the semifinal win, 95-90.

In Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology update for ESPN released on Sunday, Golden’s gang is now a No. 5 seed in the East Region. There, the Orange and Blue are matched up with the No. 12 Virginia Commonwealth Rams to start things off, while the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils and No. 14 Vermont Catamounts also join them in Brooklyn, New York.

Looking at the rest of the SEC, the Tennessee Volunteers are the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, followed by the No. 3 Auburn Tigers (East), No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats (South), No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (West), No. 5 South Carolina Gamecocks Midwest), No. 9 Mississippi State Bulldogs (East) and No. 9 Texas A&M (West) are among those projected to be in the tournament.

TAMU and Mississippi State are also among the last four byes.

Florida will take on the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Tournament Finals on Sunday, March 17, in Nashville with a tipoff time set for 1 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Where is Alabama in latest March Madness Bracketology?

Alabama remains a four seed in latest Bracketology!

Selection Sunday has arrived and although [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and the Alabama men’s basketball team are not competing for the SEC Tournament Championship in Nashville, Crimson Tide fans can rest easy knowing their squad is firmly in the NCAA Tournament field.

Late Saturday night, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi updated his famous bracketology, and Oats and the Tide are still on the No. 4 seed line, as the No. 15 overall seed.

Lunardi has Alabama in the West Region along with No. 1 seed North Carolina, No. 2 Arizona, and No. 3 Baylor.

Lunardi currently has eight SEC programs in the NCAA Tournament field, but it’s March and anything can happen.

Stay connected to Roll Tide Wire on Selection Sunday for more March Madness content!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.