It's Early, but...

Joe Lunardi is back at it with hypothesizing and bracketologizing the NCAA Tournament (Yes, we know bracketologizing isn't a word -- but we're trying to make it one just for Lunardi and the other mock bracketers out there).
And in a good news/bad news situation, the Irish are in as a No. 8 seed in Little Rock, Ark. playing No. 9 Illinois (by the way, anyone else rather see this matchup in football...Ron Zook and Rejus Benn vs. Charlie Weis). That's the good part. Bad part is a likely second-round game against Memphis.

The good people at the Bracket Project (one of our favorite sites last year) compile all the possible projections out there and at this early, early, EARLY date, Notre Dame is on the composite outside. The Bracket Projecters have seven Big East teams in, including Georgetown as a No. 2 seed. Louisville, with injuries to David Padgett and Juan Palacios along with many, many (Derrick) Caracter issues, are a No. 10 seed.
As for the actual people at Bracket Project making predictions, Notre Dame isn't in there, either. However Syracuse is as a No. 12 seed (it was updated Monday, after Eric Devendorf tore his ACL and deemed out for the year) and James Madison -- off to its best start in over a decade -- is considered the league rep from the CAA. Why note this? Well, the Dukes had seven wins all of last season and already have seven before January. Plus, JMU plays Seton Hall before the New Year and a chance for a major-conference win.

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette