The 2019-2020 college basketball season never got the ending it deserved, with most conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament getting canceled due to COVID-19. To make up for it, Joe Lunardi has released his way-too-early Bracketology for the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Lunardi projects Texas to not only make the tournament but to be a six-seed in the East region. If his projections are correct, it will be the second time Shaka Smart has been a six-seed during his time in Austin, with the first coming in 2016.
The Longhorns would get no easy matchups throughout the bracket as teams such as Villanova, Ohio State, West Virginia, Michigan State, LSU, and Duke also make up the East region. Texas would also face the winner of a First Four game, which Lunardi projects to be former conference rival Colorado and the SEC’s South Carolina.
As usual, major conferences make up a big chunk of the field, with the Big 12 having seven representatives in the tournament. Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and West Virginia all make the cut, with the Bears and Jayhawks coming in as two-seeds.
If 2019-2020 was a down year for the Big 12, 2020-2021 will be a swing back to reality. Kansas and Baylor are expected to continue their dominance, while schools such as Texas Tech and even Oklahoma State are expected to take a step up.
Texas must adjust and raise the bar as well. Returning 100% of their production will help, but Smart’s squad must show up consistently throughout the season. If they can, a six seed in the NCAA Tournament could be on the cards.
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