There are 11 months until the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, but apparently, it is never too early to start looking ahead to next year’s edition of March Madness.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, who is the resident college hoops expert at the publication, recently released his way-too-early bracketology for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Here is what he has been up to.
“We’re tracking every transfer, portal maneuver and NBA draft entry (and exit) in a comprehensive database of rosters. We then use those rosters to project the offensive and defensive efficiency of each team and rank every conference. The result is an updated bracket each month from April through October.”
Florida basketball’s seeding in ESPN’s 2026 bracketology
In Lunardi’s first edition of the 2025-26 bracket, he has the Gators as a No. 3 seed in the South Region, where they are matched up with the 14th-seeded Furman Paladins in Tampa, Florida. The other side of their opening bracket has the sixth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers facing either the Ole Miss Rebels or the NC State Wolfpack — both holding a No. 11 seed.
Top seeds in ESPN’s 2026 bracketology
The top four seeds in ESPN’s way-too-early bracketology are the Houston Cougars (West) and Duke Blue Devils (East) — who are expected to once again enter the tournament with a No. 1 seeding just as they did in 2025 — along with the St. John’s Red Raiders (South), who were a No. 2 seed this spring, and the Purdue Boilermakers (Midwest), who were a No. 4 seed during this year’s Big Dance.
SEC schools in ESPN’s 2026 bracketology
The Southeastern Conference is represented by a nation-best 13 schools in Lunardi’s way-too-early projections, headlined by the Kentucky Wildcats at the No. 2 seed in the Midwest.
The Tennessee Volunteers (West) and Florida (South) are the No. 3 seeds representing the league, followed by the Auburn Tigers (No. 4, Midwest), Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 5, West), Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 6, East), Missouri Tigers (No. 6, Midwest), Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 7, South), Vanderbilt Commodores (No. 8, West), Texas Longhorns (No. 8, East), Georgia Bulldogs (No. 9, South), Oklahoma Sooners (No. 9, Midwest) and Ole Miss Rebels (No. 11, South).
Note that the Rebels are among the First Four play-in round.
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