# Lunardi already has Arizona as a No. 1 seed for 2027

> ESPN's bracketologist put Tommy Lloyd's Wildcats on the top line six weeks before a single game tips off.
- Title: Lunardi already has Arizona as a No. 1 seed for 2027
- Summary: ESPN's bracketologist put Tommy Lloyd's Wildcats on the top line six weeks before a single game tips off. Arizona has the star talent to justify a No. 1 seed…
- Keywords: arizona wildcats, college basketball, march madness, bracketology, big 12, sports, Lunardi, already, Arizona, seed, 2027, Arizona Wildcats On SI
- Source: Arizona Wildcats On SI — https://si.com/college/arizona/basketball/joe-lunardi-has-arizona-no-1-seed-first-2027-march-madness-bracket
- Published: 2026-09-15T19:07:45+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: arizona wildcats, college basketball, march madness, bracketology, big 12, sports
## A bracket before the season
Projecting the NCAA Tournament field six weeks before opening night is already hard. With hundreds of players stuck in eligibility limbo, it borders on guesswork.

> it feels like an impossible task
## Lunardi picks Arizona first
ESPN's Joe Lunardi released his first 2027 bracket anyway, and he put Tommy Lloyd's Wildcats on the top line for the 2026-27 season.
## The West Region path
Arizona lands as the No. 1 seed in the West and would open in Sacramento against the winner of a 16-seed play-in between Bethune-Cookman and Long Island.
## Who else is in the pod
The rest of the projected pod is No. 8 Ohio State from the Big Ten and No. 9 Oklahoma from the SEC.
## Lloyd finally broke through
Lloyd enters his sixth year in Tucson after taking Arizona to its first Final Four since 2001. Before that, he had racked up two 1 seeds, two 2 seeds and a 4 seed in five years.
## Two proven starters return
Center Mo Krivas and forward Ivan Kharchenkov both averaged double figures last season and belong in the preseason All-Big 12 conversation.
## Another loaded freshman class
Five-star guard Caleb Holt is a legitimate candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2027 NBA draft. Four-star wing Cameron Holmes, brother of DaRon, projects as a two-way athlete.
## The Godfrey problem
RJ Godfrey was dominant at Clemson and fits perfectly at the four, replacing Koa Peat. But the NCAA granted a stay in the Georgia lawsuit, so the 6-foot-7 bruiser is ineligible for now.
## Pressure shifts to the frontcourt
Until Godfrey's status changes, Kharchenkov, Holmes and backup Maxsim Brnovic have to produce right away at power forward.
## Two transfers run the point
Sophomore transfers Derek Dixon from North Carolina and JJ Mandaquit from Washington both posted high assist and low turnover numbers. Dixon should start as a shooter and scorer.
## The backcourt runs thin
After Mandaquit, depth falls off a cliff. Bryce James, who redshirted last year, is the only other guard expected to see rotation minutes.
## Ten Big 12 teams, then UCLA
Field expansion to 76 helps push 10 Big 12 teams in, led by Houston at 3 and Kansas at 4. Arizona opens Nov. 2 in Las Vegas against projected 7 seed UCLA.
## Key takeaway

Arizona has the star talent to justify a No. 1 seed projection, but guard depth and RJ Godfrey's eligibility are real holes that could decide the season.