| MBB/WBB Lunardi: Bama a #2 seed in his earliest bracket (as an AQ.)

I've seen mention of an overall #6 in a pre-season projection. An early sense gives us a good chance of seeing Bama as a #2 seed, or better, in three of the last four seasons.

There's nothing wrong with watching other fans expectations of the program. Relish it.


Things have certainly changed for the better since CNO came to T-town. Two of the last 3 years SEC and Tournament Champs. You have to wonder what might have been this past season.
 
Things have certainly changed for the better since CNO came to T-town. Two of the last 3 years SEC and Tournament Champs. You have to wonder what might have been this past season.

I've had several of those seasons dating all the way back to 1955-56 and the Rocket Eight. When it ended before the season started with the disqualification from NCAA Tournament eligibility of the five Senior starters ( Jerry Harper, George Linn, Dennis O'Shea, Leon Marlaire, and Richard Gunder ) because they had played as Freshmen. Sports fans, those names are from memory. I have forgotten a lot of things but I'll never forget those guys. At some point I am going to do a brief rundown of all of those seasons.
 
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I've had several of those seasons dating all the way back to 1955 and the Rocket Eight. When it ended before the season started with the disqualification from NCAA Tournament eligibility of the five Senior starters ( Jerry Harper, George Linn, Dennis O'Shea, Leon Marlaire, and Richard Gunder ) because they had played as Freshmen. Sports fans, those names are from memory. I have forgotten a lot of things but I'll never forget those guys. At some point I am going to do a brief rundown of all of those seasons.
That's an impressive memory.
 


RKTEAMS RCRD
1
UCONN
This ranking is based on the Huskies returning five of the top six scorers from a team that won the 2023 NCAA Tournament - specifically everybody except Jordan Hawkins, who is expected to remain in the NBA Draft. That core combined with a top-five recruiting class should have UConn as the favorite to win back to back national championships.31-8
2
PURDUE
This ranking is based on the Boilermakers returning six of the top seven scorers - everybody except Brandon Newman - from a team that won the Big Ten regular-season title and the Big Ten Tournament before securing a No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. CBS Sports National Player of the Year Zach Edey has a decision to make, obviously, but for now I'm projecting him to return to Purdue.29-6
3
MARQUETTE
This ranking is based on the Golden Eagles returning every relevant player from a team that won the Big East regular-season title and the Big East Tournament before securing a No. 2 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones should provide Shaka Smart with a core capable of competing for a national championship.29-7
4
DUKE
This ranking is based on the Blue Devils returning the top four scorers - Kyle Filipowski, Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell - from a team that finished 10-1 in its final 11 games and won the ACC Tournament. Duke is also enrolling a top-two recruiting class and will be among the most talented teams in the country, per usual.27-9
5
MIAMI
This ranking is based on the Hurricanes returning four starters - everybody except Jordan Miller - from a team that shared the ACC regular-season title with Virginia and advanced to the 2023 Final Four. Miami's Nijel Pack/Isaiah Wong backcourt should be one of the best in the country.29-8
6
FAU
This ranking is based on the Owls returning all five starters from a team that won the C-USA regular-season title and the C-USA Tournament before advancing to the 2023 Final Four. FAU should be the AAC favorite in its first season in its new conference.35-4
7
ALABAMA
This ranking is based on the Crimson Tide returning five of the top seven scorers - everybody except Brandon Miller and Jaden Bradley - from a team that won the SEC regular-season title and the SEC Tournament before securing the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Alabama should be the favorite to repeat as SEC champions.31-6
8
UCLA
This ranking is based on the Bruins returning five of the top seven scorers - Tyger Campbell, Jaylen Clark, Amari Bailey, Adem Bona and Dylan Andrews - from a team that won the Pac-12 regular-season title before securing a No. 2 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. That core combined with a top-15 recruiting class should make UCLA the Pac-12 favorite.31-6
9
CREIGHTON
This ranking is based on the Bluejays returning everybody except Ryan Nembhard from a team that won 24 games and advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Creighton has multiple players who could reasonably enter the NBA Draft -- among them leading scorer Ryan Kalkbrenner -- but for now I'm projecting all of them to be back in Omaha, where the Bluejays should compete with UConn and Marquette at the top of the Big East standings.24-13
10
KANSAS
This ranking is based on the Jayhawks enrolling a top-five recruiting class and returning three starters - Dajuan Harris, K.J. Adams and Kevin McCullar - from a team that won the Big 12 regular-season title before securing a No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Based strictly on the roster, this ranking is possibly high, but assuming Bill Self will have a top-10 team is rarely a mistake.28-8
 
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