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UNC Basketball: Where are the Tar Heels in Lunardi’s postseason bracket?

By Blake Cockrum

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 24: Garrison Brooks #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels is greeted after being pulled from the game in the final moments of their 81-59 win against the Washington Huskies in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 24: Garrison Brooks #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels is greeted after being pulled from the game in the final moments of their 81-59 win against the Washington Huskies in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the UNC basketball program in a favorable position in his postseason bracket

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his second Bracketology of the offseason on Thursday, and things are looking a bit different than they did when the season ended some six weeks ago.

Duke and Michigan State remain on the top line in his latest version of the bracket, with the Spartans holding on to the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed. Michigan and Virginia, though, have both fallen quite a ways since the teams’ previous perch atop the East and South brackets, respectively.

For the Cavaliers, it was the loss of DeAndre Hunter, Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome to the NBA Draft that sent them tumbling down to their current 3-seed. Michigan, on the other hand, lost longtime head coach John Beilein to the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, sending the program into what they hope will be just a temporary tailspin that has already cost them one recruit in top-50 prospect Jalen Wilson, and potentially more before the dust settles.

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Joining Duke and Michigan State on the top line are North Carolina and Kentucky, two programs that closed out the 2019 recruiting class on a strong note. The Tar Heels, in particular, nabbed the nation’s top point guard prospect in Cole Anthony, while managing to sign two of the top graduate transfers in the country in William and Mary shooting guard Justin Pierce and Charleston Southern’s Christian Keeling. Kentucky finished the recruiting cycle ranked first in the SEC, and second in the nation.

All four teams on the 2-line — Kansas, Gonzaga, Louisville and Villanova — have moved up since Lunardi’s last bracket. The Jayhawks have had a tough time on the recruiting trail over the past year, but may pick up a couple of big time prospects in the eleventh hour thanks to R.J. Hampton’s reclassification and a potential Jalen Wilson commitment. The Zags captured another top-15 recruiting class this season, signing four 4-star players ranked within the top-75 of the 247Sports Composite.

Along with Virginia on the 3-line is fellow Final Four participant Auburn, as well as Oregon and Seton Hall. Memphis, having made huge strides in year two under former Tiger and NBA star Penny Hardaway, is up to a 4-seed in the latest Bracketology. Their No. 1 recruiting class features players like James Wiseman and Precious Achiuwa, as well as five other 4-star prospects and one of the country’s top graduate transfers in Rayjon Tucker. The Tigers are joined on the 4-line by Arizona, Maryland and Texas Tech.

There’s still a lot to be done before the college basketball season rolls around in November, so look for the bracket to see quite a few changes between now and then.

dark. Next. Tar Heels favored for top-50 SF Jalen Wilson?

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