2017 Bracketology: Joe Lunardi puts Gonzaga as a No. 5 seed

The brutal reality of the college basketball offseason is that it lasts a long, long time. Recruiting is limited compared to football, there are a lot less coaches moving around, and for about four months of the year, content just about equals zero.

So in comes Joe Lunardi dragging a wagon full of numbers and useless pontificating to say this is where the Zags are going to end up in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Uh, I don't like this so much. First off, you will notice Saint Mary's down there, as a No. 7 seed. Gonzaga is taking the autobid, but do note that everyone thinks Saint Mary's will be really good next year. They haven't given us much reason to think otherwise.

Second off, the Zags are in the East, and they are underneath Duke. Duke, presumably, will be the top overall seed next year. Duke, presumably, is going to completely steamroll and annihilate everything in their path next year. That is how the story is going so far, at least.

It is SO early, so Lunardi's predictions mean less than they normally do. But what we can take away from it is that the Zags are looking to be a top-25 team all season. If the expectations are a No. 5 seed, there is a lot of room for improvement as the season progresses and the team gels together.