Gonzaga the new top overall seed in June Bracketology

If you like getting worked up over hypotheticals, this is the post for you. As he does every month during the offseason, Joe Lunardi turned in a new set of projections for the NCAA Tournament. June’s Bracketology update has Gonzaga taking over the top overall seed from Kentucky following the news that Drew Timme is returning to school. Before you get out the pitchforks, Kentucky is still tops in the South Region, which takes place in Louisville, and Lunardi says the Cats, the Zags, or the North Carolina Tar Heels are worthy of the overall No. 1 seed.

“We should have known Gonzaga would one day reclaim its seemingly permanent status as the No. 1 overall seed. The Bulldogs, led by All-American forward Drew Timme, reloaded quickly from their Sweet 16 loss to Arkansas and are once again poised to enter a season as the nation’s top-ranked team. Eventually, the Zags will need to turn those rankings into a national title or risk a change in reputation from ‘overachiever’ to ‘underachiever.’ In the meantime, I would be comfortable with any of three teams — Kentucky and North Carolina being the others — at the top of our offseason bracket. This time it’s Gonzaga’s turn.”

Also in the South Region: reigning national champions Kansas (No. 2 seed), Duke (No. 3 seed), and Indiana (No. 4 seed). A Sweet 16 showdown with the Hoosiers in Louisville sounds fun.

June Bracketology is especially meaningless, but I’d be lying if I said the idea of Duke vs. Iona in the first round wasn’t appealing. First-year head coach Jon Scheyer vs. Rick Pitino? Go Gaels.

Seven teams are in from the SEC: Kentucky (No. 1 seed), Arkansas (No. 3 seed), Tennessee (No. 3 seed), Auburn (No. 4 seed), Alabama (No. 5 seed), Texas A&M (No. 8 seed), and Florida (No. 10 seed). You can see it all over at ESPN.