Super early bracketology has NC State as a No. 9 seed

NCAA tournament bracket projections in July? Sure, why not, how about some NCAA tournament bracket projections in July. CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm took a crack at projecting the 2017 tourney field, and he has nine ACC teams making it, including NC State.

Palm’s guesswork would set up a somewhat familiar first weekend for NC State: he has the Wolfpack as the No. 9 seed in top-seeded Villanova’s region.

(1) Villanova vs. (16) Who cares

(8) Texas vs. (9) NC State

In this scenario, I imagine Villanova’s players would crumple under tears of post-traumatic anguish at the mere sight of BeeJay Anya on the court, leading to a 50-point victory for NC State. Seems likely to me.

State as a nine-seed is fair enough at this point, considering the Wolfpack’s seeding history under Mark Gottfried (or, heck, Herb Sendek). The Pack probably has the talent necessary to earn a better seed, but so much is uncertain, and the ACC is going to be incredibly tough this season.