Look: Kansas The No. 1 Overall Seed In 2025 Bracketology
The 2024 college basketball season just ended a few weeks ago with the UConn Huskies finishing one of the most dominant tournament runs in history to capture their second straight national championship under Dan Hurley.
The process of turning rosters over and reloading for another run has been sped up tremendously in the new era of the transfer portal, and it’s almost all one can do to keep up with all the action.
Some of us are still trying to catch up on which teams still have starters returning and which ones are completely rebuilding. Then there are guys like Joe Lunardi, who seemingly never sleep, and already have a bracketology update out for next season.
Yes, you read that correctly.
ESPN’s point man for the NCAA Men’s bracket has already put together his list for next year’s tournament field, and the Kansas Jayhawks, who’ve utterly dominated the offseason to this point, are his pick for the top overall seed.
“Not only are the Jayhawks returning national POY candidate Hunter Dickinson for his COVID year, but Kansas also boasts fifth-year guard Dajuan Harris Jr. along with veteran portal additions Rylan Griffen (Alabama), AJ Storr (Wisconsin), Riley Kugel (Florida) and Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State),” Lunardi writes. “All have NCAA tournament experience and will certainly help the Jayhawks erase the injury-riddled conclusion to their 2023-24 campaign, when KU dropped five of its last seven contests.”
In this projection, the Jayhawks match up with the No. 16-seed UM-Kansas City Roos in the Midwest Region.
Bill Self isn’t the only Big 12 coach leading a one-seed into this tournament though, as Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars are also projected as the No. 1 seed in the South Region, where they’d open up against the winner of Southern and Tennessee State.
Meanwhile, T.J. Otzelberger and the Iowa State Cyclones lock up a No. 2 seed again after their Sweet 16 run, drawing 15-seed Samford in the East Region.
In total, seven Big 12 schools make the cut for Lunardi’s first projection, while two Big 12 schools are among the first four and next four teams out.
(1) Kansas vs. (16) UMKC
(1) Houston vs. (16) Southern/Tenn. St.
(2) Iowa State vs. (15) Samford
(3) Baylor vs. (14) Weber State
(3) Arizona vs. (14) Ohio
(6) Cincinnati vs. (11) USC
(8) Nebraska vs. (9) Texas Tech
Bubble
Last Four Byes: Pittsburgh, Maryland, Wake Forest, USC
Last Four In: Saint Mary’s, Illinois, Wisconsin, NC State
First Four Out: Missouri, BYU, Northwestern, Oregon
Next Four Out: Kansas State, San Francisco, Syracuse, Vanderbilt
