2 months ago
We are still a bit away from the tipoff of the 2026-27 college basketball season. Still, whether we're in the midst of a season being played or the season ended yesterday, ESPN's Joe Lunardi will always have some bracketology for us college basketball fans.
Big Blue Nation may not be too fond of the placement of its Kentucky Wildcats, with hopes of being much higher. Lunardi placed the Wildcats as a 5-seed in the East region, facing off against the winner of the 12-seed play-in game between Xavier and Oklahoma State.
Lunardi knew what he was doing with this region with the list of teams, including Kentucky. If Kentucky were to win its first game, its presumed round-of-32 opponent would be a familiar one: The Arkansas Razorbacks.
Also within the East region are 1-seed Duke, 8-seed Indiana, 3-seed UConn, 2-seed Michigan State, 11-seed Cincinnati, and others.
Obviously, a 5-seed would be a bit disappointing given the expectations at Kentucky. A 5-seed would have Kentucky in an interesting spot heading into the postseason of Year 3 for Mark Pope. In a year where you go into it on a warm seat, Pope would need a run through that bracket to make BBN happy in the end.
#seed #lunardi #wildcats #east
Big Blue Nation may not be too fond of the placement of its Kentucky Wildcats, with hopes of being much higher. Lunardi placed the Wildcats as a 5-seed in the East region, facing off against the winner of the 12-seed play-in game between Xavier and Oklahoma State.
Lunardi knew what he was doing with this region with the list of teams, including Kentucky. If Kentucky were to win its first game, its presumed round-of-32 opponent would be a familiar one: The Arkansas Razorbacks.
Also within the East region are 1-seed Duke, 8-seed Indiana, 3-seed UConn, 2-seed Michigan State, 11-seed Cincinnati, and others.
Obviously, a 5-seed would be a bit disappointing given the expectations at Kentucky. A 5-seed would have Kentucky in an interesting spot heading into the postseason of Year 3 for Mark Pope. In a year where you go into it on a warm seat, Pope would need a run through that bracket to make BBN happy in the end.
#seed #lunardi #wildcats #east
4 months ago
The Kentucky Wildcats had many unknowns going into the late spring and early summer months, but those were cleared up when they were able to add two huge weapons.
The Cats saw Malachi Moreno opt out of the draft and return to college at the last second. He's going to play a huge role for this team and could be among the best bigs in the entire country. He really has an untapped ceiling, especially as a playmaker.
The second addition was Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic, who also avoided the draft after realizing he could be better off at the collegiate level. He was part of the All-Big 12 team last season and averaged 16.9 points per game, shooting 48.7% from the field. His shooting is going to be crucial for the Cats, but they'll have to figure out how to cover his flaws as well.
Nonetheless, Joe Lunardi is a huge fan of what's happening in Lexington and feels the Cats could now be a No. 5 seed in the 2027 NCAA Tournament.
The Cats made a huge jump, after being much lower in Lunardi's rankings. However, if this team can sort through some playmaking issues with Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins and also figure it out on the defensive end, they could be among the most dangerous sides in the conference.
The Cats saw Malachi Moreno opt out of the draft and return to college at the last second. He's going to play a huge role for this team and could be among the best bigs in the entire country. He really has an untapped ceiling, especially as a playmaker.
The second addition was Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic, who also avoided the draft after realizing he could be better off at the collegiate level. He was part of the All-Big 12 team last season and averaged 16.9 points per game, shooting 48.7% from the field. His shooting is going to be crucial for the Cats, but they'll have to figure out how to cover his flaws as well.
Nonetheless, Joe Lunardi is a huge fan of what's happening in Lexington and feels the Cats could now be a No. 5 seed in the 2027 NCAA Tournament.
The Cats made a huge jump, after being much lower in Lunardi's rankings. However, if this team can sort through some playmaking issues with Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins and also figure it out on the defensive end, they could be among the most dangerous sides in the conference.
