Jayhawks considered one of country’s elite teams in Joe Lunardi’s ESPN bracketology
Kansas, Gonzaga, UCLA and Michigan will snare No. 1 seeds in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN.com’s current bracketology put together by analyst Joe Lunardi.
ESPN.com published Lunardi’s latest predictions on Monday. They take into account recent announcements by college players concerning their status for the 2021 NBA Draft.
Last week, KU’s Ochai Agbaji, Jalen Wilson and Remy Martin indicated they would exit the draft and play at KU in 2021-22.
Lunardi believes KU will be awarded a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional, which has Chicago as host for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games.
He has KU playing Iona in the first round and, if victorious, the winner of the LSU-Richmond game in in the Round of 32.
Maryland, which has former KU guard Mark Turgeon as head coach and former KU forward Danny Manning as assistant, looms as a possible Sweet 16 foe with Kentucky, the No. 2 seed in the regional, a possible Elite Eight opponent.
Michigan is listed No. 1 in the South Regional; Gonzaga No. 1 in the West and UCLA No. 1 in the East.
Lunardi believes Kansas State, Missouri and Wichita State will not earn bids to the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Big 12 teams to reach the Big Dance according to Lunardi: KU as a 1 seed; Baylor and Texas as No. 2 seeds; Texas Tech as a 6 seed; West Virginia as an 8 seed and Oklahoma State as a 10 seed.
The 2022 Final Four will be held April 2 and 4 in New Orleans.
SI.com says recent news benefits KU
SI.com has listed KU as one of six “winners” following the passing of the July 7 deadline for players to withdraw from the 2021 NBA Draft if they wished to return to school.
Other winners: UCLA, St. John’s, Arizona State, Michigan and Texas Tech.
“Everything has fallen into place quite perfectly for Bill Self over the past week, with the trio of Wilson, Agbaji and Martin all withdrawing from draft consideration,” wrote Lila Bromberg of SI.com.
“Agbaji was the biggest decision of the group. He received an invite to the NBA Combine but wasn’t able to elevate his stock. The same held true for Wilson at the G League Elite Camp.
“Now, Kansas returns four of its five starters from a season ago along with the addition of Martin, a two-time all-Pac-12 first team honoree at Arizona State. The Jayhawks also bring in four four-star freshmen, highlighted by top 50 players Zach Clemence and K.J. Adams. The talent is there for Self to lead his team back to the top of the Big 12.”
Brown attends first practice with Memphis Tigers
Former KU head basketball coach Larry Brown took part in his first practice as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis on Monday.
“I told Penny (Hardaway, fourth-year head coach), ‘This can be like Georgetown, like Gonzaga,’’’ Brown said of the Memphis program in a news conference Monday covered by the Memphis Commercial-Appeal. “We’re not in a Power 5 (conference), but this can be anything we want it to be,” Brown added.
Brown, 80, said working at Memphis is “as good a job as there is.”
“I went out to eat the other night. Before I walked into the restaurant, eight women were walking out and they gave me a standing ovation. That kind of made me understand what this program means. In Dallas, my first two years (at SMU where he was head coach from 2014 to 2016), I could go to any restaurant and they would say, ‘There’s a nice 75-year-old man eating dinner with his family,’’’ Brown related.
Brown, who went recruiting at various AAU events last weekend explained his role on the Memphis coaching staff.
“I told Penny when he talked to me about it, I’ve coached some of the greatest players ever. I’ve sat next to some of the greatest coaches ever. And, I played for maybe the best coaches ever. So, I want to share everything I was taught. I’m not here to invent Memphis basketball. I’m here to share what Penny needs from me,” Brown, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, said.
Brown turns 81 in September.
“It’s on him,” Hardaway told the Commercial-Appeal, asked how long Brown will be with the Memphis program. “I think he’s been rejuvenated after being out of it for a few years. I think he’s excited about being back involved. Who knows, we’re just going to enjoy him while he’s here.”
Hardaway explained to the media why he wanted to hire Brown.
“Iron sharpens iron,” Hardaway said. “Just how widely respected he is as one of the smartest coaches and best coaches to ever coach the game ... I’ve always wanted to be around greatness. He’s helped me tremendously in the few days he’s been here, just talking about scenarios, how to do certain things during practice and how to approach things.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2021 at 10:08 AM with the headline "Jayhawks considered one of country’s elite teams in Joe Lunardi’s ESPN bracketology."
