Joe Lunardi Gives June 2020 Bracketology Update for 2020-21 Season
There have been a ton of moving parts for the University of Louisville men's basketball program in this offseason.
In total, seven players have departed the program ever since the 2019-20 came to an unceremonious end thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Lamarr "Fresh" Kimble, Keith Oddo, Steven Enoch, Dwayne Sutton & Ryan McMahon all graduated, Jordan Nwora declared for the NBA (as did JUCO signee Jay Scrubb), and Darius Perry transferred to UCF.
At the same time, head coach Chris Mack has recruited a lion's share of talent to supplant what was lost. Reigning Big South Player of the Year Carlik Jones and Second Team All-WCC selection Charles Minlend both decided to leave Radford & San Francisco respectively as graduate transfers to play their final collegiate seasons as Cardinals.
In the high school ranks, despite only sporting a two-man 2020 recruiting class in JJ Traynor and D'Andre Davis, it comes in as the No. 30 class in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite.
It will be hard to project how next season's Louisville team will perform purely based on the amount of roster fluctuation. But that doesn't mean people won't try anyways, even if the 2020-21 season is (tentatively) not scheduled to begin for another five months.
Among those taking a way-too-early look is ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi, as he recently updated his projected 2021 NCAA Tournament Field of 68 on Wednesday.
To call Louisville's projected draw interesting would be a gross understatement. He inserted them in the South Region (Memphis), and check out who else joins them:
Dallas
1. Baylor vs 16. Colgate
8. Miami vs 9. Arkansas
Boise
5. Louisville vs 12. Western Kentucky
4. Kentucky vs 13. Yale
Dallas
6. Indiana vs 11. San Diego St.
3. Creighton vs 14. New Mexico St.
Detroit
7. Oklahoma State vs 10. Arizona
2. Michigan State vs 15. Siena
You read all of that right. Not only would the Cardinals be matched up with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers for the No. 5 vs. No. 12 game, but they are also set up for a potential game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the Round of 32. Of course for added measure, Indiana is the No. 6 seed in the region.
I personally would love to see all three fanbases squeezed into one arena for a weekend, but what do you think of this draw?
Sound off in the comments section below!
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