The 2021 men’s NCAA Tournament was a solid one for the state of Utah, as two teams got bids for the first time since 2016. The BYU Cougars got a 6-seed and the Utah State Aggies got an 11 seed (in fairness, those two surely would have made it in 2020 had it been held).
But how will the state fare in 2022?
Last week, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi released his first bracket prediction for next season, and only one Beehive State team is on the list, the Southern Utah Thunderbirds.
The Thunderbirds, who haven’t made the tournament since 2001, had an excellent 2020 season as they went 20-4. They were the top seed in the Big Sky Conference Tournament but fell in the semifinals to the Montana State Bobcats.
On his bracket, Lunardi has SUU as a 14-seed (the seed it was in 2001) facing the 3-seed and new national champion Baylor Bears in the first round.
While the Thunderbirds are the only team from Utah fully in Lunardi’s field, he does list the Cougars as the second squad among his “first four out,” meaning he sees them squarely on the bubble. BYU’s West Coast Conference foe Saint Mary’s is among Lunardi’s “last four in.”
Another WCC team, the perennial power Gonzaga Bulldogs, are Lunardi’s top overall seed, with UCLA, Alabama and Kansas the other 1-seeds.