ESPN has continued with the lack of love for head coach DanHurley’s UConnmen’s basketball team.
The first bracketology predictions for the men’s NCAATournament from ESPN came out five weeks ago, and the network issued its nextway-too-early bracket projections on Tuesday.
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Again, bracketologistJoe Lunardi put the Huskies on the No. 3 seed line, giving the No. 1 seedsto Duke, Florida, Illinois and Arizona. Duke is listed as the No. 1 seed.
Anchoring the No. 2 lines are Michigan State, Texas,defending champion Michigan and Louisville.
Lunardi didn’t detail his reasons for thislower-than-expected projection, but we can surmise some reasons why.
1. The Huskies finished the regular season and conferencetournament schedule in 2025-26 with a 29-5 record, 17-3 in the Big East. Theyadded a 5-1 record in the tournament, the loss coming to Michigan in the NCAAtitle game.
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They were a No. 2 seed.
If you called last season’s nonconference schedule hard, theupcoming one is herculean. After a rematch with Michigan in the second game ofthe season, the Huskies face the gauntlet of Arizona, Duke and Illinois insuccessive games – two of the three outside Connecticut.
William Purnell-Imagn Images
And three of the four projected No. 1 seeds.
2. The retooled roster. AlexKaraban, the winner of two NCAA championships and the leader of the teamthe past two seasons, is off to the NBA. So is Tarris Reed Jr., who led theHuskies last season with 14.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Anotherchampionship winner, Solo Ball, will miss the season as he recovers from wristsurgery.
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3. Inexperience. It’s also a young roster, with fiveseniors, one junior, six sophomores and three freshmen – and few players whohave been through the rigors of a long run in the NCAA Tournament. That wouldbe seniors Silas Demary Jr. and Jayden Ross, along with sophomore BraylonMullins. Nik Khamenia, a transfer from Duke, was on the Blue Devils team thatwas knocked out of the tournament by Mullins’ 3-point heroics to win the teams’Elite Eight matchup.
Sophomore Jacob Ross, Jayden’s younger brother, was with theHuskies last season but did not see game action.
Last season, the NCAA Tournament selection committee putUConn in the East Region, joined by Hall of Fame coaches and blue-blood programs.
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No. 1 overall seed Duke, a five-time champion. UCLA, oncethe king of the sport.
Tom Izzo and Michigan State. Bill Self and Kansas. RickPitino and St. John’s.
Lunardi again slotted Duke as the top seed in the East for the upcoming season, and heentered UConn as the No. 3 in this bracket, where the regional final will beplayed in New York City.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo and UConn head coach Dan Hurley react after the Huskies beat the Spartans in a Sweet Sixteen game in the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament. Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Two Hall of Fame coaches and their teams show up in thisbracket – Izzo and Michigan State again, and John Calipari and Arkansas. Storiedprograms Kentucky, Indiana Villanova and Providence also are in this group, asis coach Matt Painter and Purdue.
Lunardi’s projection sends UConn to Minneapolis for thefirst two rounds and lists Yale as the opening opponent. A win potentially wouldpit the Huskies against Purdue, North Carolina State or Cincinnati, under thisscenario.
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We’ve got a long time to figure this all out. The openinground (play-in) games will be played March 16 and 17, with the first round scheduledto start March 18.
The Final Four games are set for April 3 and 5 at Ford Fieldin Detroit.
