ESPN's 2026 Bracketology is finally giving Bucky McMillan the respect he deserves

It looks like Bucky McMillan is not quite done constructing his roster yet, as he revealed at the Dallas A&M Club's Coach's Night that he's still looking to add another guy to the roster.

Since McMillan was named as the new head coach to take over for Buzz Williams, he has done wonders in the portal by getting some of the more recognizable names in college basketball. We've seen a few predictions from ESPN's Joe Lunardi, but now, it looks like he's giving some more respect to McMillan and company.

Of course, this is still early to be believing anything, but if Lunardi is accurate here, Texas A&M will see the NCAA Tournament for a fourth year in a row.

Lunardi's way-too-early prediction has A&M basketball as a last four in

The last time Lunardi did one of these way-too-early predictions, he had A&M as a first team out. With this being Bucky's first season as a head coach, he'll look to defy every negative expectation of him and his team, but knowing that A&M is now a team that Lunardi has as a team that's in, there's very much a chance for the Aggies to exceed expectations.

Lunardi has Texas A&M playing SMU in the "first four" game to decide the No. 11 seed. SMU could be a sleeper team in the country this year, making this hypothetical game to be as competitive as they get.

Lunardi's results show some changes in the SEC this upcoming season, with Alabama, Auburn taking a step back, while Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Kentucky and Oklahoma staying at around the same seed as last season. He also has the defending champion Florida Gators as another No. 1 seed in 2026.

Of course, this is all still very early, but it seems Lunardi has finally put some respect on the name of McMillan, and this latest bracketology shows an improved Aggie team from the prediction he had one month ago.