Yes, average reader, it is entirely too early for looking towards next year’s March Madness. Honestly, who, at this point in the year, would spend time looking at next years college hoops season? Oh. Right.
What Joe made famous, Joe now delivers year round. Let’s take a look at the ACC and SEC according to Lunardi.
Atlantic Coast Conference
North Carolina – 1 seed
Duke – 1 seed
Virginia Tech – 4 seed
Miami FL – 4 seed
Wake Forest – 7 seed
Clemson – 11 seed
What Joe doesn’t say here is who Duke will lose to in the second or third round. Based on his early bracket however, it would be the Baylor/Georgetown winner (would the Earth implode if JT3 and Duke met in the second round?) or the survivor of the West Virginia/Gonzaga second round matchup (read: WVU).
Wouldn’t that be a beautiful site?
As always, North Carolina gets the early (pre-)season love, and Clemson deservedly gets a one-and-done spot. The peculiar pick here is Wake at a 7. Is Tim Duncan planning a comeback? Maybe that’s why Dave Odom “retired.”
Oh, and I buy Miami-FL as a 4 seed about as often as I go to Homestead looking for a babysitter.
Southeastern Conference
Florida – 3 seed
Mississippi State – 6 seed
Kentucky – 6 seed
Mississippi – 8 seed
Tennessee – 9 seed
Alabama – 11 seed
Joe’s prognostications leave Felton’s SEC Tourney champion Bulldogs and Stallings depleted Commodores out of the field, which I’m not here to argue with. No one expects much of Darrin Horn at Carolina this year, but leaving out the Razorbacks? After a year under Pelphrey? Joe, you’re letting us down.
After watching the last 2 SEC seasons, I’m also not convinced that we’ll see an even number of East and West teams in the dance. And having veteran Tennessee squad as a 9 seed behind a Florida team it handled easily twice last season and behind a Kentucky squad full of question marks seems like a bit of a reach, based solely on returning players and high school/JUCO commitments.
I’ll take Carolina to make a late surge and get in the dance, and Andy Kennedy to coach his way out of it once again. The SEC should look pretty similar this year with the exceptions of Vandy on the demise and Florida heading back towards the top.
Other than that, we’ll just have to wait and see. (And keep reading Joe’s updates… right?)
[ESPN]
Filed under: Basketball, Excpectations, Kentucky, SEC, Tennessee
