Bracketology: Kentucky is Lunardi's top overall seed and pick to win it all

Bracketologies are pretty meaningless this time of year, but Joe Lunardi’s latest update to his 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracketology is worth the attention of Kentucky Basketball fans.

Today, the morning after the new college basketball season began, Lunardi released his first new in-season Bracketology to reveal Kentucky as the No. 1 overall seed in the field. However, the Wildcats are in the West Regional in Las Vegas, not right down the road at the South’s host site in Louisville.

“The season begins with Kentucky — also my national title pick — as the No. 1 overall seed,” Lunardi writes. “Why? This bracket is our first to add projected strength of schedule (overall, not just nonconference) to the formula, bumping Gonzaga to No. 2 overall. The remaining top-line teams, North Carolina and Houston, have been consistent all summer and fall, with only the order of the four 1-seeds in flux.”

Six other Southeastern Conference teams make Lunardi’s new projected Big Dance, beginning with a couple of No. 3 seeds in Arkansas and Tennessee. Auburn (5-seed), Alabama (6-seed), Texas A&M (8-seed), and Florida (9-seed) are also included in the projected tournament field.

Outside of Kentucky’s league opponents, the Wildcats will play another No. 1 seed in Gonzaga, two projected No. 2 seeds in Kansas and UCLA, in addition to Michigan (6-seed) and Michigan State (8-seed) in the non-conference.

See Lunardi’s entire projection over at ESPN.

If Lunardi had to bet a mortgage payment…

In ESPN’s preseason SEC preview, Lunardi was one of three ESPN panelists who picked Kentucky to win the SEC. (There was one pick for Tennessee.) Lunardi was quoted in the preview as saying, “If I had to bet a mortgage payment today, without seeing a minute of any game, Kentucky would be my pick for the national championship

“The Wildcats have the Player of the Year favorite along with other proven veterans. They also have the usual immediate contributors coming in (but not too many so as to require a lengthy acclimation period). And, of course, they have the ‘chip on their shoulder’ factor based on last season’s ignominious NCAA tournament exit.”