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Joe Lunardi updates bracket projections on eve of selection Selection Sunday
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Joe Lunardi has released his latest bracket projections with Selection Sunday just a day away.
On Friday, Duke edged North Carolina to clinch a spot in Saturday’s ACC Championship Game. Duke will face Louisville, who slipped past Clemson to claim its first appearance in a conference championship game since 2014. And, in the SEC, Texas lost to Tennessee 83-72 in the quarterfinals
Would North Carolina and Texas’s losses mean that their bubbles have burst? Yes, according to Lunardi, who has the Tar Heels and Longhorns as Last Four Out teams. That’s also thanks to Boise State’s upset of New Mexico in the Mountain West semifinals that moved Colorado State to an automatic qualifier, stealing a bid from the Tar Heels, Lunardi noted on SportsCenter on Saturday morning. The Broncos and Rams will play for the MW championship on Saturday.
“That game may be a play-in … but in the short run, it puts Carolina and Texas — just too many losses for each of them — on the wrong side,” Lunardi said.
Here are Lunardi’s latest projections:
For the SEC, Auburn and Florida remain as No. 1 seeds, with Auburn looking to remain in its current spot as the top overall seed. Tennessee and Alabama are 2 seeds in the East and Midwest, respectively, while Kentucky (a 3 in the West) and Texas A&M (a 4 in the Midwest) are also projected as Top 4 seeds. Oklahoma and Arkansas are Last Four Bye teams while Vanderbilt is in the Last Four In column.
On the ACC’s side, Duke is a 1 in the East, the only team in the conference projected as a Top 4 seed. The ACC is projected to put 3 teams in the tournament.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
