ESPN’s way-too-early bracketology: ASU a last-four-in team, Arizona a 2-seed

The 2027 NCAA Tournament is about nine months out, but that hasn’t stopped ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi from projecting how the new 76-team bracket will shape up.

Lunardi has Randy Bennett’s ASU Sun Devils as a No. 12 seed matched up against the No. 5-seed LSU Tigers and Tommy Lloyd’s Arizona Wildcats as a No. 2 seed facing No. 15 Queens.

Both schools in the way-too-early bracket would be placed in the West Region, with ASU kicking off the madness in Minneapolis and Arizona in Sacramento. The regional final, or the Elite Eight, will be contested in Los Angeles.

Illinois would be the No. 1 seed in the region with Texas and Virginia rounding out the top-four West teams.

Lunardi has six Big 12 teams represented in his bracket last updated earlier this week. The remaining four would be Iowa State (No. 5 seed in East Region), Texas Tech (No. 6 seed in Midwest Region), Kansas (No. 4 seed in Midwest Region) and Houston (No. 4 seed in South Region).

Seven Big 12 programs qualified for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, as Arizona made the most noise earning a spot in the Final Four against eventual national champion Michigan.

The NCAA expanded the men’s and women’s basketball tournament from 68 to 76 in May.

Projected 2026-27 ASU, Arizona men’s basketball lineups

The conference matchups are now known but the starting fives for the Sun Devils and Wildcats not so much.

Here’s what each lineup might look like:

ASU Sun Devils (Arizona Sports’ Damon Allred)

• PG Joel Foxwell (Portland) — 15.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 2025-26; no Division 1 freshman averaged more assists per game.
• SG Emmanuel Innocenti (Gonzaga) — 6.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steal; 30 assists and 21 steals to just two turnovers over his final 14 games (436 total minutes).
• SF Dillan Shaw (Saint Mary’s) — 7.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.9 steals; shot 41.6% on 3.8 3-pointers per game as a freshman.
• PF Paulius Murauskas (Saint Mary’s) — 18.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists; made First Team All-WCC a second time after playing his freshman season at Arizona.
• C Ben Defty (Boston University) — 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 blocks; had seven games with at least three blocks, including a career high of five.

The Sun Devils’ transfer portal class was named the 13th best by 247 Sports, with Bennett nabbing two of his former Saint Mary’s players (Shaw and Murauskas) entering his first year as head coach.

Arizona Wildcats (Arizona Sports’ David Veenstra)

• PG Derek Dixon (North Carolina) — 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 2025-26; led the Tar Heels in assists (90) and his 39.7% clip from 3 was third-highest by freshman in UNC history
• SG Caleb Holt (5-star recruit) — Was No. 4 recruit in 2026 SC Next 100 rankings; highest-ranked high school recruit by Lloyd in time at Arizona
• SF Ivan Karchenkov (returnee) — 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals; started all 39 games in freshman campaign and recorded multiple steals in 15
• PF
• C Motiejus Krivas (returnee) — 10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.1 assists; opponents’ 36.7% shooting rate when on floor was lowest percentage in nation, according to CBBAnalytics.

Arizona’s power forward slot is a question mark with Koa Peat choosing to stay in the upcoming NBA Draft, the first round beginning Tuesday. Peat has been mocked to go as a late first-rounder or in the second round.

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