Joe Lunardi Bracketology: 4 SEC teams on right side of the bubble after Tuesday action
By David Wasson
Published:
Late February every year is prime time for NCAA Tournament prognostication, which is what ESPN’s Joe Lunardi does best with his popular Bracketology franchise.
Lunardi’s latest projections on the 2026 field of 68 includes 11 teams from the Southeastern Conference getting into the field – with the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide slotted among the top 16 seeds in the field.
Lunardi also has four more SEC teams as his “last four byes” on the bubble entering Wednesday night’s play: the Texas A&M Aggies, the Missouri Tigers, the Texas Longhorns and the Auburn Tigers.
Texas A&M (19-8 overall, 9-5 SEC) plays a pivotal game Wednesday at No. 20 Arkansas (9 pm ET, ESPN2). Missouri (19-9, 9-6) earned a crucial 73-69 home victory Tuesday night against No. 22 Tennessee. Texas (17-10. 8-6) is also in action Wednesday, playing at home against No. 7 Florida (7 pm ET, ESPN2). Auburn (15-13, 6-9) dropped its sixth decision in its last seven games Tuesday night, falling 91-79 at Oklahoma.
Lunardi pointed out in his update that the Longhorns could all but lock up an at-large bid with an upset victory over the Gators. He also said that Wednesday night’s Georgia-Vanderbilt matchup (7 pm ET, SEC Network) features an unusual amount of volatility in each team’s seed at this point in the proceedings.
Here’s a look at the latest odds for SEC bubble teams according to Kalshi:
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
