I’m doing this for a couple of reasons: 1. It’s good to have any reason to put that picture of Joe Lunardi up. (Which he must be thrilled that it’s so accessible on the web.) 2. I do not follow Lunardi’s predictions into the new year because, simply, he’s so good at what he does. I never look at his Bracketology page, save for at the very beginning of the year, and immediately following the selections shows. So what fun is it then for me to try and predict what teams are in/out and who gets seeded where if the Dean of Bracketology School ruins Christmas morning Selection Sunday night?
No, I try and steer clear of the boy-like charm of Mr. Lunardi at all costs for my own virgin-like, aspiring prophecies of The Tournament. After the jump I’ve got (in beautiful graphics) Lunardi’s assessment of the field of 65.
Remember: These predictions are from Lunardi’s late November breakdown of the field. They do not attempt to predict what can and/or will happen on Selection Sunday. This is just a fun little activity to look back at in about 12 weeks to see just how much can change in a season (though it never seems like it in March). His automatic bids are in CAPS. Enjoy!
A few quick thoughts:
–I think his four current 1-seeds will remain the same on Selection Sunday.
–Virginia and Vanderbilt as 7-seeds, Ohio State as 5, Tennessee as a 4 and Louisville as a 3 will seem wayyy too high.
–As will BYU as an 8, Indiana as a 4 and Florida as a 10 will seem too low.
–Biggest I-Really-Don’t-Know’ers: Duke, Stanford, Arizona, Arkansas, Wisconsin.
I agree with his 1 seeds, those seem to be the consensus top 4 teams in the counry especially considering the way Georgetown has struggled despite what their 7-0 record indicates.
I’m not sure Texas will compete for one of those seeds simply because they are going to lose a number of games in the Big 12. Kansas and A+M are going to give the Longhorns two serious games, and teams like K-State, Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Mizzou are no pushovers either.
One team I am sold on as a potential No. 1 (if any of the top four goes through a rough patch during the year) and a definite No. 2 is Duke. The Blue Devils can spread the floor like no other team and will have a chance to win any game just on three-point shooting alone. With that being said, we all know the saying–You live by the three, you die by the three. So far Duke hasn’t come close to dying and because of their depth (and Un-Duke-like athleticism) I dont see them losing more than 5 games all year.
It’s really interesting to see a bracket this early, but some things i don’t agee with and of course its way too early but i honestly feel Texas will get one of the number 1 seeds and i think Pitt and Clemson will be ranked 4 or higher. especially Clemson as there playing really well and it seems as if everyone is overlooking Texas A.J. Abrams and D.J Augustin make one hell of a back court and everyone says gaurd play is key…well name me two better gaurds.
yesssirrr
Hard to argue w/ Texas’ two guards, and I do believe in the guard play philosophy.