Yes, Joe Lunardi somehow already has a 2025 Bracketology update

yes-joe-lunardi-somehow-already-2025-bracketology-update — Photo by Aaron Perkins | Kentucky Sports Radio

The transfer portal window hasn’t even been closed for 24 hours yet — and hundreds of players remain uncommitted — but that didn’t stop Joe Lunardi from breaking out Ole Reliable: An updated Bracketology.

Yes, you read that right. ESPN’s postseason guru has already gotten to work laying out the projected field for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Lunardi dropped his first version on Thursday.

And where did he have Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats? Checking in as an 8-seed in the Midwest Region (Indianapolis) with a first-round matchup against 9-seed Clemson and a possible second-round showdown with top-seeded Kansas. Of course, we have to mention that Kentucky has just nine players on the roster right now, with five of them committing over the last five days.

Despite a half-filled team, Kentucky is at least expected by Lunardi to make the tournament next March. Below is Lunardi’s projected Midwest Region, which also includes Ohio State (Aaron Bradshaw‘s new team) and SEC foe Alabama.

Obviously, things will change dramatically in the coming weeks and months as teams begin to fully fill out their rosters. Kentucky will likely jump up a few seeds with the addition of some more portal prospects.

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The same can be said for Arkansas and new head coach John Calipari, who is facing a similar full-on rebuild in Fayetteville that Pope is in Lexington. Lunardi has the Razorbacks as a 10-seed in the South Region (Atlanta).

In total, Lunardi has 10 SEC programs making the 2025 NCAA Tournament: Alabama (2), Auburn (3), newly-added Texas (4), Tennessee (4), Texas A&M (5), Florida (6), Ole Miss (7), Kentucky (8), Mississippi State (9), and Arkansas (10). Missouri is in the First Four Out group with Vanderbilt in the Next Four Out category.

The Big Ten leads the way with 12 selections. Louisville and first-year head coach Pat Kelsey did not make the initial cut. Joining Kansas as the 1-seeds are UConn, Duke, and Houston.

Is it too early for Bracketology, considering we’re still roughly 10 months out from the start of the 2025 tournament? Probably, but if this tells us one thing, it’s that Lunardi expects the SEC to be a tough, tough conference to play in next season.