About this episode

The episode discusses the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket and the selection process with insights from guest Andy Bottoms.

In this episode of Xs and Joes , Bob Moats and Mike Wiemuth are joined by Andy Bottoms to unpack the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket, the selection process, and what it all reveals about where college basketball is headed next. Bracketology Reality Check The guys open with Andy reflecting on another Selection Sunday—and why even strong bracket projections can still “grade out” poorly. Why bracketology success doesn’t always match leaderboard results The surprising disconnect between predictive accuracy and final rankings A tongue-in-cheek case for “re-scoring” brackets based on tournament outcomes Early hints that this year’s committee may have valued things differently than expected Committee Philosophy & Process A deeper dive into how the selection committee actually operates—and where subjectivity still sneaks in. Whether the committee truly follows a strict process or has hidden preferences Where bias might show up (and where it likely doesn’t) Why controversial matchups are usually dictated by rules—not conspiracy The one area of the bracket where human judgment still matters most What the Committee Really Values Now This is where things get interesting—and where Andy…

People in this episode

Hosts: Bob Moats, Mike Wiemuth

Guest: Andy Bottoms

Topics covered

• NCAA Tournament
• Bracketology
• Selection Committee
• College Basketball
• Predictive Metrics

Keywords

• NCAA
• Bracketology
• Selection Sunday
• College Basketball
• Predictive Metrics
• Wins Above Bubble
• Seeding

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NCAA, KenPom

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