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Bracketology 2020: Way-too-early NCAA Tournament projected field

By Lukas Harkins

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 20: A detailed view of a March Madness branded basketball is seen during a practice session before the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 20, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 20: A detailed view of a March Madness branded basketball is seen during a practice session before the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 20, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 24: Turner and Bowden of Tennessee react. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 24: Turner and Bowden of Tennessee react. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Other Teams to Watch

Wichita State Shockers

Wichita State enters this season with hopes of potentially heading back to the NCAA Tournament. Even though I do not have them making this projected field, they are right on the outside-looking-in. Head coach Gregg Marshall is one of the best in the business and his roster will rely on a nice group of sophomores to carry the weight. Dexter Dennis and Jamarius Burton, most notably, have the potential to win several games in the AAC while Jaime Echenique can be an experienced piece inside.

Georgetown Hoyas

Georgetown is headed in the right direction under head coach Patrick Ewing. He has proven to be a superb recruiter since joining the program and the Hoyas could land an at-large bid this season. Even though they lost Jessie Govan this offseason, Omer Yurtseven is a great addition as a potential replacement and Terrell Allen will supply some experience as well. Georgetown’s ceiling, though, will be determined by their sophomore trio of James Akinjo, Mac McClung, and Josh LeBlanc.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame has an interesting mix of youth and experience on their roster this season. Head coach Mike Brey’s team might have missed the Big Dance during 2018-19, but I would not expect the program to stay down for long. The Fighting Irish have plenty of fun pieces on the squad this year and I am intrigued to see the improvements that they sophomore class makes. Most notably, can Prentiss Hubb and Nate Laszewski take the next steps and emerge as stars?

Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa suffered a couple of tough blows this season with Tyler Cook leaving for the professional ranks and Jordan Bohannon suffering an injury that could force him to miss substantial time. Still, even with those injuries, the Hawkeyes are quite talented. Sophomore Joe Wieskamp has the potential to emerge as a start his season while Luka Garza will reprise his role as one of the most underrated big men in the entire nation. Coach McCaffery has the pieces to be successful still.

Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee lost a ton of talent this offseason with the departures of Jordan Bone, Admiral Schofield, and Grant Williams. As a result, the Vols are going to be far less successful this season and could be fighting for a tournament bid from the outside-looking-in. Head coach Rick Barnes has a fun freshman joining the fray in Josiah-Jordan James and he will also rely on seniors Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden to carry the torch. Talent is there, but it will be hard to respond after those key losses.

Others considered (alphabetical order and not comprehensive): Arkansas, Butler, BYU, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas State, Miami, Minnesota, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, San Diego State, Tennessee, UCLA, UConn, USC, Utah, West Virginia, Wichita State, and Wisconsin.

Next. Preseason 2019-20 national top-25. dark

That concludes this look at a way-too-early 2019-20 NCAA Tournament projected field. I hope that you enjoyed this edition of bracketology and we will be back at it once the season actually kicks off in a few months!

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