Not that it really matters (no one knows anything given all the portal turnover that will be the future), but Lunardi of ESPN has his pre-season hoops bracketology out: https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/s...logy-2025-march-madness-men-field-predictions
Some takeaways, but without judgment or comment:
1) 9 Big Ten teams ... 10 SEC teams ... 9 Big 12 ... 7 ACC ... 5 Big East
2) RU is an 11 sed, one of the "Last 4 In" (along with Louisville, Dayton and Pitt)
3) For what it is worth (completely meaningless), Lunardi has the winner of the 11 seeds RU-UL to play a 6 seed St. Johns ... the takeaway is not the match up, but that ST. Johns is a 6 seed while RU is an 11 seed ... we might know more this week - though it is just an exhibition game, and early in RU's practice - RU's defense will likely be much better in January/Feb than in October.
4) Big Ten teams: Top Big Ten Seed: Purdue at a #4 seed ... Indiana is a 5 seed ... UCLA a 6 seed ... Illinois and Mich. St are 7 seeds ... Michigan is an 8 seed ... Oregon and Ohio St are 10 seeds ... Maryland, Nebraska, Wisconsin and USC are all in the "Last 4 Out." ... by implication, he seeds the Big Ten as 1. Purdue, 2. Indiana, 3. UCLA, 4T. Illinois and MSU, 6. Michigan, 7T. Oregon and Ohio St., 9. RU, and 10-13: Maryland, Nebraska, Wisconsin and USC.
5) #1 seeds are Kansas, Duke ... and Alabama and Houston (if RU could somehow steal a win over one of those 2, great wins).
6) Notre Dame, Seton Hall and Princeton are not picked to make the NCAA - but in the even more irrelevant prediction, Wagner is predicted to win their league and be in the play-in game.
Some takeaways, but without judgment or comment:
1) 9 Big Ten teams ... 10 SEC teams ... 9 Big 12 ... 7 ACC ... 5 Big East
2) RU is an 11 sed, one of the "Last 4 In" (along with Louisville, Dayton and Pitt)
3) For what it is worth (completely meaningless), Lunardi has the winner of the 11 seeds RU-UL to play a 6 seed St. Johns ... the takeaway is not the match up, but that ST. Johns is a 6 seed while RU is an 11 seed ... we might know more this week - though it is just an exhibition game, and early in RU's practice - RU's defense will likely be much better in January/Feb than in October.
4) Big Ten teams: Top Big Ten Seed: Purdue at a #4 seed ... Indiana is a 5 seed ... UCLA a 6 seed ... Illinois and Mich. St are 7 seeds ... Michigan is an 8 seed ... Oregon and Ohio St are 10 seeds ... Maryland, Nebraska, Wisconsin and USC are all in the "Last 4 Out." ... by implication, he seeds the Big Ten as 1. Purdue, 2. Indiana, 3. UCLA, 4T. Illinois and MSU, 6. Michigan, 7T. Oregon and Ohio St., 9. RU, and 10-13: Maryland, Nebraska, Wisconsin and USC.
5) #1 seeds are Kansas, Duke ... and Alabama and Houston (if RU could somehow steal a win over one of those 2, great wins).
6) Notre Dame, Seton Hall and Princeton are not picked to make the NCAA - but in the even more irrelevant prediction, Wagner is predicted to win their league and be in the play-in game.
