January 21, 2026 • 9 mins
Hunter Sansom is "NKY Bracket Guy" (@BracketNKY), and he's our official bracketologist. He joined us to talk about the NCAA Tournament hopes for some area college basketball programs on ESPN1530.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
No one covers the Bengals like ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati spot.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
We got to get to sports headlines in a few minutes.
There's nothing of major consequence happening right now. We're less
than an hour away from UK basketball on ESPN fifteen thirty,
the Wildcats taking on Texas, a big game for both.
A year ago, at this time, we declared Hunter Sansom
to be our official bracketologist, the NKY Bracket Guy, And
(00:30):
through no work of ours is he's taken his little
bracketology hobby and now he's developing like a college basketball
and sports media empire. So you should follow him on
Twitter at bracket NKY and you should go to his website,
nkybracketology dot com. And we had to like negotiate to
(00:53):
get him on the show because he's very busy.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
We probably had to pay him an appearance fee for
all I know, he's with us. Now, how's it.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Going, No, I'm great. How are you well?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
It's awesome to have you, Thank you for joining this
we This is earlier than we had you last year,
but it's nonetheless nice to have you.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Absolutely so happy to be back in, happy to talk
some basketball.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
The Miami RedHawks are twenty to zero. Now, if they
win every game, including all their games in the MAC Tournament,
they're going to be an NCAA tournament team.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Their schedule works against them.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Do they have any prayer of being an at large
if they don't win the MAC Tournament?
Speaker 4 (01:34):
It's not out of the conversation, I don't think. But
they can't take any more than really one loss. I
think their best path is probably losing the MAC championship game.
But like you said, their schedule is just not going
to do them any fingers.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Uh So, undefeated in the regular season, lose game one
of the MAC Tournament and they don't make it.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I don't think so.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
I mean, unfortunately, the metrics and the quad system and
all of that fun stuff that the committee likes to
use just don't do Miami any favors. They won't have
any Quadrant one games, which is that like gold standard
for tournament appearances, and you really need that one Quadrant
one win to get in at.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
A minimum in the in the MAC the last three teams,
and obviously it's been a one bid league for a
quarter of a century, more than a quarter of a century.
But if you look at the last few years, the
seed has been the thirteen or fourteen. Your latest projections
have them as an eleven. If they were to run
the table, and admittedly that's not likely because it's it's obviously.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Hard to win every game.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
But if they were to run the table and and
and win the MAC Conference Tournament championship, which is redundant,
what's the seed ceiling?
Speaker 4 (02:49):
I mean, I think the committee could do a couple
of different things. They could really honor that the team's
undefeated and won their conference championship. I mean, look at
what they've done the past two games with just some
crazy shots. It's taken a little bit of Look, yes,
but it's a lot of talent. I really think that
they could get up to like a seven maybe, but
in more like the scenario, they're probably gonna be a
nine or ten at a max.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
So but like, explain that to me, because a seven
would mean, like, you know, there are there are at
large teams that are gonna get in as a seven.
If you're an automatic qualifier and you get in as
a seven, I don't think you should go from a
seven to like not even in the field if you
lose one game.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
I completely agree However, the metrics and all of the
other stuff that I explain on Twitter a lot more
frequently and a lot more in depth are gonna be
very against Miami. So the committee is gonna use that
one thing where those two things to really bump them down.
And then if you add that quadrant four loss on
top of that, they're just really gonna hurt them.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
And assuming they.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
Lose, it's likely going to be at least quadrant three,
if not quadrat four.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Kentucky has work to do.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Your latest projections had uk as a seven, and again,
this is doing this in the middle of January.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
There's lots of ball to be played.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
How tenuous is the Wildcat's grip on an at large
spot right now?
Speaker 4 (04:09):
A lot better this week than it was maybe before
they played Missippy State ten days ago or so. Tonight's
Texas game is pretty big. They're both of those two
teams are bubble teams. It kind of it's going to
be a big sway for Texas. But I mean, Kentucky's
in a good spot right now. Metrics look good, They've
got three quadrant one wins at this time.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Do you anticipate this year having a big bubble or
a small bubble.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Right now, it's a big bubble. And I mean it's
obviously January. All you can really do is talk about it.
But it seems like it's going to stay a pretty
large bubble. A lot of these Power Conference teams don't
look great, and there are a couple of mid major
types of teams we're looking at all.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Right, mid major teams are you talking about, like teams
that if they don't win their conference tournaments could still
get in as at large?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Why do they have better cases than Miami Because they.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Had better teams schedule them in the non conference sleep
And I mean the rank us or play us motto
that Miami, like social media went with is an amazing auto.
And honestly, everything that I've heard and everything I've talked to,
Miami really got hurt with their schedule this year. I
know Houston and Michigan were tentatively on the schedule and
then dropped them for the Players Era, and they weren't.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Able to get anybody.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
But the teams that scheduled, like the George Mason's or
the Saint Louises are just a little bit better than
what Miami is, and those teams are in a little
bit better of a conference.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
When you do like first four out last four in
last four byes, that sort of thing which every bracketologist does.
How many teams would you have to list before you
listed Cincinnati or Xavier.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
Cincinnati's in a much better spot after the last week
that they've had, probably still twenty fifteen, twenty teams out,
I mean that lost Eastern Michigan and some of their
metrics are really going to hurt them. Xavier, on the
other hand, you're probably going thirty teams deep. I mean,
they're they're very far out.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Of the b I like the fact that you answered
that question seriously, like you gave me like a legitimate,
well thought out answer to a question that I sort
of asked more or less just to I don't know,
get a chuckle out of you.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Fair enough.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
I assumed it was coming, so I kind of like
did some research last night looking at it after we
confirm the time here.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
But it's been a rough year to say the least.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Yeah, but if the Bearcats, I'm sorry, when the Bearcats
win tonight over the undefeated, unanimous number one team in
the country, how will that change things?
Speaker 4 (06:47):
That would be a I mean, on the road against
one of the best teams in the country, if not
the best, would jump them ten or eleven positions. I mean,
that would be just absolutely monumental, season defining type of win.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
We would have serious conversations at that really.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
So if they if they go to Tucson and win
tonight and beat in consecutive games the second ranked team
in the country at the time, the second ranked team
in the country, and the number one ranked team in
the country, then like I could legitimately talk about like
their NCAA tournament hopes.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Yes, I'm holding off on putting this out for Cincinnati,
but I put out like a path for Miami to
get in that.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Large bid today on Twitter.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
I will be doing the state for Cincinnati after the
Arizona game. But this game would just be massive if
they could get it done. Obviously that's the big if.
But let's see what happens.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Where are the two area Big ten schools on your radar,
Ohio State and Indiana.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Ohio State in.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
A much better position after beating Minnesota than they would
have been if they would have lost. The UCLA win
was really big. I was in Columbus for that one.
So they are currently in the tournaments right above, maybe
a ten or eleven seed.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
After last night.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
For Indiana they are out, maybe eight to ten spots
out just off.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
The page of those next four out teams.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
Quite a bit of work to do after last night,
and just kind of how the season's gone.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Will this exercise for you be easier, more difficult, more
fun or less fun once we inevitably expand the tournament field?
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Less fun because we're gonna have teams. And I don't
mean this as a jab at Cincinnati. Were Cincinnati Savior
would be genuinely considered at this point, and I don't
want that for the tournament. I don't want to water
it down and make team. I want to make teams
earn it. But at the same time, it would be
nice to consider some of these local teams a little
bit more.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Seriously, there's no like living, breathing college basketball fan. With
the exception of Seth Davis, who I follow, who wants
an expanded tournament field, nobody else wants it. Even as
a doggard Bearcat fan, I don't know. This is not
this is not anything.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
That we need.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
All right, well, awesome to have you, now, you know,
as the tournament draws closer, we get you on the
show more and more frequently, sometimes on a daily basis,
to react to things that may have happened the night before.
But we appreciate the time as always and it's always
good to have you.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Absolutely happy to be here. Thank you, Mam.
No one covers the Bengals like ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati spot.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
We got to get to sports headlines in a few minutes.
There's nothing of major consequence happening right now. We're less
than an hour away from UK basketball on ESPN fifteen thirty,
the Wildcats taking on Texas, a big game for both.
A year ago, at this time, we declared Hunter Sansom
to be our official bracketologist, the NKY Bracket Guy, And
(00:30):
through no work of ours is he's taken his little
bracketology hobby and now he's developing like a college basketball
and sports media empire. So you should follow him on
Twitter at bracket NKY and you should go to his website,
nkybracketology dot com. And we had to like negotiate to
(00:53):
get him on the show because he's very busy.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
We probably had to pay him an appearance fee for
all I know, he's with us. Now, how's it.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Going, No, I'm great. How are you well?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
It's awesome to have you, Thank you for joining this
we This is earlier than we had you last year,
but it's nonetheless nice to have you.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Absolutely so happy to be back in, happy to talk
some basketball.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
The Miami RedHawks are twenty to zero. Now, if they
win every game, including all their games in the MAC Tournament,
they're going to be an NCAA tournament team.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Their schedule works against them.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Do they have any prayer of being an at large
if they don't win the MAC Tournament?
Speaker 4 (01:34):
It's not out of the conversation, I don't think. But
they can't take any more than really one loss. I
think their best path is probably losing the MAC championship game.
But like you said, their schedule is just not going
to do them any fingers.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Uh So, undefeated in the regular season, lose game one
of the MAC Tournament and they don't make it.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I don't think so.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
I mean, unfortunately, the metrics and the quad system and
all of that fun stuff that the committee likes to
use just don't do Miami any favors. They won't have
any Quadrant one games, which is that like gold standard
for tournament appearances, and you really need that one Quadrant
one win to get in at.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
A minimum in the in the MAC the last three teams,
and obviously it's been a one bid league for a
quarter of a century, more than a quarter of a century.
But if you look at the last few years, the
seed has been the thirteen or fourteen. Your latest projections
have them as an eleven. If they were to run
the table, and admittedly that's not likely because it's it's obviously.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Hard to win every game.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
But if they were to run the table and and
and win the MAC Conference Tournament championship, which is redundant,
what's the seed ceiling?
Speaker 4 (02:49):
I mean, I think the committee could do a couple
of different things. They could really honor that the team's
undefeated and won their conference championship. I mean, look at
what they've done the past two games with just some
crazy shots. It's taken a little bit of Look, yes,
but it's a lot of talent. I really think that
they could get up to like a seven maybe, but
in more like the scenario, they're probably gonna be a
nine or ten at a max.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
So but like, explain that to me, because a seven
would mean, like, you know, there are there are at
large teams that are gonna get in as a seven.
If you're an automatic qualifier and you get in as
a seven, I don't think you should go from a
seven to like not even in the field if you
lose one game.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
I completely agree However, the metrics and all of the
other stuff that I explain on Twitter a lot more
frequently and a lot more in depth are gonna be
very against Miami. So the committee is gonna use that
one thing where those two things to really bump them down.
And then if you add that quadrant four loss on
top of that, they're just really gonna hurt them.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
And assuming they.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
Lose, it's likely going to be at least quadrant three,
if not quadrat four.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Kentucky has work to do.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Your latest projections had uk as a seven, and again,
this is doing this in the middle of January.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
There's lots of ball to be played.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
How tenuous is the Wildcat's grip on an at large
spot right now?
Speaker 4 (04:09):
A lot better this week than it was maybe before
they played Missippy State ten days ago or so. Tonight's
Texas game is pretty big. They're both of those two
teams are bubble teams. It kind of it's going to
be a big sway for Texas. But I mean, Kentucky's
in a good spot right now. Metrics look good, They've
got three quadrant one wins at this time.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Do you anticipate this year having a big bubble or
a small bubble.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Right now, it's a big bubble. And I mean it's
obviously January. All you can really do is talk about it.
But it seems like it's going to stay a pretty
large bubble. A lot of these Power Conference teams don't
look great, and there are a couple of mid major
types of teams we're looking at all.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Right, mid major teams are you talking about, like teams
that if they don't win their conference tournaments could still
get in as at large?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Why do they have better cases than Miami Because they.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Had better teams schedule them in the non conference sleep
And I mean the rank us or play us motto
that Miami, like social media went with is an amazing auto.
And honestly, everything that I've heard and everything I've talked to,
Miami really got hurt with their schedule this year. I
know Houston and Michigan were tentatively on the schedule and
then dropped them for the Players Era, and they weren't.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Able to get anybody.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
But the teams that scheduled, like the George Mason's or
the Saint Louises are just a little bit better than
what Miami is, and those teams are in a little
bit better of a conference.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
When you do like first four out last four in
last four byes, that sort of thing which every bracketologist does.
How many teams would you have to list before you
listed Cincinnati or Xavier.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
Cincinnati's in a much better spot after the last week
that they've had, probably still twenty fifteen, twenty teams out,
I mean that lost Eastern Michigan and some of their
metrics are really going to hurt them. Xavier, on the
other hand, you're probably going thirty teams deep. I mean,
they're they're very far out.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Of the b I like the fact that you answered
that question seriously, like you gave me like a legitimate,
well thought out answer to a question that I sort
of asked more or less just to I don't know,
get a chuckle out of you.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Fair enough.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
I assumed it was coming, so I kind of like
did some research last night looking at it after we
confirm the time here.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
But it's been a rough year to say the least.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Yeah, but if the Bearcats, I'm sorry, when the Bearcats
win tonight over the undefeated, unanimous number one team in
the country, how will that change things?
Speaker 4 (06:47):
That would be a I mean, on the road against
one of the best teams in the country, if not
the best, would jump them ten or eleven positions. I mean,
that would be just absolutely monumental, season defining type of win.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
We would have serious conversations at that really.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
So if they if they go to Tucson and win
tonight and beat in consecutive games the second ranked team
in the country at the time, the second ranked team
in the country, and the number one ranked team in
the country, then like I could legitimately talk about like
their NCAA tournament hopes.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Yes, I'm holding off on putting this out for Cincinnati,
but I put out like a path for Miami to
get in that.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Large bid today on Twitter.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
I will be doing the state for Cincinnati after the
Arizona game. But this game would just be massive if
they could get it done. Obviously that's the big if.
But let's see what happens.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Where are the two area Big ten schools on your radar,
Ohio State and Indiana.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Ohio State in.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
A much better position after beating Minnesota than they would
have been if they would have lost. The UCLA win
was really big. I was in Columbus for that one.
So they are currently in the tournaments right above, maybe
a ten or eleven seed.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
After last night.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
For Indiana they are out, maybe eight to ten spots
out just off.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
The page of those next four out teams.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
Quite a bit of work to do after last night,
and just kind of how the season's gone.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Will this exercise for you be easier, more difficult, more
fun or less fun once we inevitably expand the tournament field?
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Less fun because we're gonna have teams. And I don't
mean this as a jab at Cincinnati. Were Cincinnati Savior
would be genuinely considered at this point, and I don't
want that for the tournament. I don't want to water
it down and make team. I want to make teams
earn it. But at the same time, it would be
nice to consider some of these local teams a little
bit more.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Seriously, there's no like living, breathing college basketball fan. With
the exception of Seth Davis, who I follow, who wants
an expanded tournament field, nobody else wants it. Even as
a doggard Bearcat fan, I don't know. This is not
this is not anything.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
That we need.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
All right, well, awesome to have you, now, you know,
as the tournament draws closer, we get you on the
show more and more frequently, sometimes on a daily basis,
to react to things that may have happened the night before.
But we appreciate the time as always and it's always
good to have you.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Absolutely happy to be here. Thank you, Mam.
Mo Egger News
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