I Bleed Blue and White

Expert bracketologist Joe Lunardi returns for the 2009-2010 campaign with his initial breakdown of the field of 64.  As we all know, this means absolutely nothing, and this bracket will look very different come March.  Anyway, for what it’s worth, Villanova is ranked as a 2 seed in the East (Syracuse) region.

There were a few things that caught my eye right away in terms of the Big East.  First, I don’t think Marquette will be challenging for a bid this year, as Lunardi has them as “one of the first four out.”  Losing Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and Wesley Mathews is too much to overcome this year in my opinion.  In the “next four out” Lunardi has Cincinnati.  No, this program has not had much success since the Bob Huggins era, but this year’s team has a good chance to make the tournament and even be a decent seed.  They bring back a good nucleus to go along with freshman phenom Lance Stephenson.  Lastly, Pittsburgh was given an 8 seed.  I think Jamie Dixon is a great coach and always admire the toughness of the Pitt teams, but it wouldn’t shock me to see the Panthers on the outside looking in.  No doubt, though, they will be very well prepared and play each game extremely hard.

We will see how it unfolds over the course of the season.  The excitement continues to build as we head towards Friday night and the Fairleigh Dickinson game.

Added by Chris:

I do not like Joe Lunardi one bit, and frankly I am surprised to see him give us this kind of respect this early on. I think we would all sign up for a 2-seed right now, especially with the inexperience of some of our team. That projection is entirely dependent on a lot of guys growing up fast.

As for the other Big East projections, I agree that I have a tough time seeing Marquette in the at-large mix. Hayward is a great player but too many new parts to go along with not much experience. If Jimmy Butler can become a go-to-guy though, they could sneak in. Cincinnati is a near lock for the tournament to me. Too much talent. I actually think Pittsburgh will be higher than an 8 seed. Whenever they are highly-rated they underachieve (last year is a good example) and whenever people think they are rebuilding they tend to exceed expectations.

As the NBA Draft rapidly approaches, prospects, especially projected 2nd-rounders, try to get in as many workouts as possible for various teams.  Recently, Dante Cunningham has worked out for the Charlotte Bobcats on June 12th, the Utah Jazz on June 15th, and he has a workout scheduled with the Portland Trailblazers today, June 17th.  After these workouts, the media caught up with Dante down in Charlotte and out west in Utah to discuss these sessions. 

ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi is back with an updated version of his notorious bracketology.   For what it’s worth, Lunardi projects Villanova as a #2 seed, but reading into March Madness projections on June 17th is way too premature to say the least. 

Pat Forde, of ESPN, also came out with his top ten teams for next season.  For Forde, Villanova ranks #2 behind the Kansas Jayhawks.  His take on the Cats:

When Scottie Reynolds re-upped, the Wildcats became Big East favorites and a national title threat. Reynolds returns to join three other key players from last season’s Final Four team, plus coach Jay Wright adds one of the nation’s best recruiting classes and Duke transfer Taylor King. Replacing Dante Cunningham’s points, rebounds and leadership will be the hard part.

Joe Lunardi is at it again.  Today, he came out with his bracket projections for next season.  Obviously, these projections are ridiculously early and don’t mean anything, but Lunardi has Villanova slotted as a #2 seed.  In all, Lunardi believes 8 Big East teams will make next year’s tourney, including Syracuse as a #1 seed, Louisville as a #2 seed, and West Virginia as a #2 seed. 

The only thing I can really take away from this is that Joe Lunardi is bored and has nothing better to do.  Also, I don’t like all the hype Villanova is getting already.  Over the last few years, Villanova has flown under the radar, and they have relished this role.  We don’t need the incoming recruits seeing high rankings and what not, because in reality, they haven’t proved anything yet.  I know Jay will take care of this in the end, but I always have loved the underdog mentality.  I guess we can’t be underdogs after a Final 4 run and having one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.