College basketball blue-bloods headline the top contenders for the 2026 national championship, according to numerous way-too-early projections. Stellar performances on the recruiting trail put those premier programs in the mix, and their outstanding coaches do not hurt their cases, either. Duke and Kentucky, for example, boast an ideal blend of remarkable, young coaches with history as elite talent destinations. That helped the Wildcats flourish in the transfer portal with the No. 4-ranked class and the Blue Devils build another top-three class from the high school ranks.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi weighed in with his first batch of NCAA Tournament projections, approximately 10 months in advance of Selection Sunday. Purdue secured the top overall seed in his bracket, while the aforementioned squads both stand just behind the Boilermakers on the No. 1 and No. 2 seed lines.
Lunardi foresees another dominant year for the SEC and Big Ten and dished out 13 bids to the former and 12 to the latter. Their 15 combined teams in the projected field blow the other power conferences out of the water.
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Here are Joe Lunardi’s debut 2026 NCAA Tournament projections:
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