Bracketology in July … really

Yes, it’s the summer, and the news is slow. And not only that, but sometimes we’re late reporting that slow news.

A couple weeks ago, once the NBA early-entry deadline passed, a bunch of top 25 lists cropped up. One we missed was bracketologist Joe Lunardi posting his latest projected 2010 NCAA tournament bracket on ESPN.com.

Lunardi has South Carolina among his first four out of the tournament. You can see his full bracket here.

Obviously, it’s silly to use this as anything more than just a tool to preview next season. Along those lines, Lunardi has five SEC teams in, and two more among the next eight out (USC and Vanderbilt), another sign that the SEC is expected to be stronger. That said, it still only ranks fifth among leagues getting bids, with the Big East and ACC dominating.

As far as where Lunardi puts the SEC teams, I do have some quibbles: Florida as a 10 seed seems a bit high given the loss of Nick Calathes. I would put South Carolina or Vanderbilt ahead of the Gators in the pecking order. I’d also put USC and Vandy ahead of LSU, which basically lost everyone but Tasmin Mitchell, yet is in the “last four in” the projected bracket.

Tennessee as a No. 3 seed seems kind of high also. But Kentucky as a No. 1 seed looks good, and Mississippi State sort of in the middle, at No. 9, sounds about right.