The Best of the Sports Shop

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss how Venezuela claimed its first-ever World Baseball Classic title with a 3-2 win over the United States in the championship game, discuss how they would explain the sport of baseball for someone unfamiliar with the sport and preview tonight’s matchups between Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh and Miami vs. SMU as they look ahead to who will advance in March Madness.

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss the outcomes of last night’s First Four games, preview tonight’s matchups between Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh and Miami vs. SMU, debate Howard’s chances against Michigan in the main bracket, and break down Maxx Crosby’s frustrating near-trade to the Baltimore Ravens.

The NCAA First Four begins the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the University of Dayton Arena and feature eight teams competing for four spots in the main 64-team bracket. Two games were playd last night and two will be played tonight. The winners of these games will advance to the main tournament bracket and continue their March Madness run when the Round of 64 begins later in the week. Last night, the UMBC Retrievers lost to the Howard Bison and now Howard will move on to face the Michigan Wolverines. Then later, the Texas Longhorns defeated the NC State Wolfpack. Tonight, the Prairie View A&M Panthers will face the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Then later, the Miami RedHawks will face the SMU Mustangs, with the winner advancing to play the Tennessee Volunteers in the next round. How will Howard fare against Michigan? Who wins in the two First Four games tonight?

Maxx Crosby recently opened up about his near-trade to the Baltimore Ravens, describing a confusing and frustrating process that ultimately fell apart. Crosby said he fully believed the deal was going through and even traveled to Baltimore to finalize it, but quickly felt something was off due to a lack of clear communication from the organization. The situation unraveled when the Ravens raised concerns about his knee during the physical, despite Crosby believing he was on track in his recovery from meniscus surgery. What happened?

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss NC State’s narrow tournament loss to Texas, evaluate Will Wade’s coaching and postgame comments, break down Darrion Williams’ season performance—including whether he lived up to his preseason Player of the Year expectations—and debate whether NC State can realistically move past a third-place spot in the Triangle behind UNC and Duke.

The NC State Wolfpack’s season came to a dramatic end last night with a 68-66 loss to the Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament First Four, decided in the final seconds. Texas guard Tramon Mark led the way with 17 points and knocked down a go-ahead jumper with about one second remaining, while NC State was paced by Darrion Williams, who finished with 21 points. Although NC State made a push with timely three-point shooting to get back into the game, Texas executed better down the stretch with clutch shot-making and free throws and the Wolfpack were unable to generate a clean look on their final possession. The loss ends NC State’s season at 20-14 overall and eliminates them before reaching the main 64-team bracket, while Texas advances to face BYU and it also caps a difficult finish for the Wolfpack, who dropped eight of their last ten games, raising questions about late-season consistency and execution. How do we evaluate Will Wade's season? Did the Pack disappoint or was the season successful? Back in October, Darrion Williams was named the 2025-26 ACC Preseason Player of the Year and Reese was one of the voters. What do we think of Darrion Williams' season? Will NC State always be third place in the triangle behind UNC and Duke?

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss Will Wade's comments following NC State's loss to Texas in the First Four.

The NC State Wolfpack’s season came to a dramatic end last night with a 68-66 loss to the Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament First Four, decided in the final seconds. Texas guard Tramon Mark led the way with 17 points and knocked down a go-ahead jumper with about one second remaining, while NC State was paced by Darrion Williams, who finished with 21 points. Although NC State made a push with timely three-point shooting to get back into the game, Texas executed better down the stretch with clutch shot-making and free throws and the Wolfpack were unable to generate a clean look on their final possession. The loss ends NC State’s season at 20-14 overall and eliminates them before reaching the main 64-team bracket, while Texas advances to face BYU and it also caps a difficult finish for the Wolfpack, who dropped eight of their last ten games, raising questions about late-season consistency and execution. How do we evaluate Will Wade's season? Did the Pack disappoint or was the season successful? Did Will Wade handle the loss well?

Reese, Pam and Alex discuss NC State’s close tournament loss, evaluate Will Wade’s coaching and Darrion Williams’ performance and break down Maxx Crosby’s frustrating near-trade to the Baltimore Ravens and what it reveals about the NFL trade process.

The NC State Wolfpack’s season came to a dramatic end last night with a 68-66 loss to the Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament First Four, decided in the final seconds. The loss ends NC State’s season at 20-14 overall and eliminates them before reaching the main 64-team bracket, while Texas advances to face BYU and it also caps a difficult finish for the Wolfpack, who dropped eight of their last ten games, raising questions about late-season consistency and execution. How do we evaluate Will Wade's season? Did the Pack disappoint or was the season successful? Back in October, Darrion Williams was named the 2025-26 ACC Preseason Player of the Year. What do we think of Darrion Williams' season?

Reese, Pam and Alex discuss NC State’s close loss to Texas, evaluate Will Wade’s coaching, Darrion Williams’ season performance and celebrate Howard Bison’s historic win over UMBC while speculating on their chances against No. 1 seed Michigan.

The NC State Wolfpack’s season came to a dramatic end last night with a 68-66 loss to the Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament First Four, decided in the final seconds. Texas guard Tramon Mark led the way with 17 points and knocked down a go-ahead jumper with about one second remaining, while NC State was paced by Darrion Williams, who finished with 21 points. Although NC State made a push with timely three-point shooting to get back into the game, Texas executed better down the stretch with clutch shot-making and free throws and the Wolfpack were unable to generate a clean look on their final possession. The loss ends NC State’s season at 20-14 overall and eliminates them before reaching the main 64-team bracket, while Texas advances to face BYU and it also caps a difficult finish for the Wolfpack, who dropped eight of their last ten games, raising questions about late-season consistency and execution. How do we evaluate Will Wade's season? Did the Pack disappoint or was the season successful? Back in October, Darrion Williams was named the 2025-26 ACC Preseason Player of the Year. What do we think of Darrion Williams' season?

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex preview tonight’s NCAA First Four matchups, breaking down UMBC vs. Howard, Texas vs. NC State and tomorrow’s Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh and Miami vs. SMU games, while analyzing which teams have the best chance to advance in the main 64-team bracket.

The NCAA First Four takes place this week and officially begins the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. The games are played tonight and tomorrow night at the University of Dayton Arena and feature eight teams competing for four spots in the main 64-team bracket. The winners of these games will advance to the main tournament bracket and continue their March Madness run when the Round of 64 begins later in the week. Tonight, the UMBC Retrievers will play the Howard Bison men's basketball and the winner will move on to face the Michigan Wolverines. Then later, the Texas Longhorns men's basketball take on the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball. Did NC State earn their positioning in the NCAA Tournament First Four? Will NC State beat Texas tonight? How will NC State vs Texas go tonight? Howard or UMBC?

Tomorrow, the Prairie View A&M Panthers will face the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. That same night, the Miami RedHawks will face the SMU Mustangs, with the winner advancing to play the Tennessee Volunteers in the next round The winners of these games will advance to the main tournament bracket and continue their March Madness run when the Round of 64 begins later in the week.

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss tonight’s Texas vs. NC State game.

The NCAA First Four takes place this week and officially begins the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. The games are played tonight and tomorrow night at the University of Dayton Arena and feature eight teams competing for four spots in the main 64-team bracket. The winners of these games will advance to the main tournament bracket and continue their March Madness run when the Round of 64 begins later in the week. Tonight, the the Texas Longhorns men's basketball take on the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball. Did NC State earn their positioning in the NCAA Tournament First Four? Will NC State beat Texas tonight?

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss Bruce Pearl replacing Jay Wright on the CBS March Madness panel, the First Four matchups including NC State vs. Texas and the affect of Aden Holloway’s arrest on Alabama’s tournament prospects.

Bruce Pearl is apparently replacing Jay Wright on this year’s CBS/NCAA March Madness studio panel for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Do people want this?

The NCAA First Four takes place this week and officially begins the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. The games are played tonight and tomorrow night at the University of Dayton Arena and feature eight teams competing for four spots in the main 64-team bracket. The winners of these games will advance to the main tournament bracket and continue their March Madness run when the Round of 64 begins later in the week. Tonight, the the Texas Longhorns men's basketball take on the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball. Did NC State earn their positioning in the NCAA Tournament First Four? Will NC State beat Texas tonight?

Aden Holloway, a guard for the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball, was arrested just days before the start of NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. Authorities say a search of a residence uncovered more than a pound of marijuana, along with drug paraphernalia and cash, leading to charges of first-degree marijuana possession and failure to affix a tax stamp, a felony. Holloway was briefly jailed and later released on a $5,000 bond. It remains unclear whether he will face disciplinary action from the team or be available to play in Alabama’s upcoming tournament matchup against Hofstra Pride men's basketball, adding uncertainty as the Crimson Tide enter March Madness as a No. 4 seed.

Reese, Kmac and Alex discuss the impact of Aden Holloway’s arrest on Alabama’s tournament chances, break down Duke’s ACC Championship run and how the potential absence of Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II could affect their NCAA Tournament hopes, debate whether Michigan State is the most dangerous #3 seed and even touch on St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Reese and Alex discuss how close the Winston-Salem State Lady Rams came to the Division II Final Four, before turning their attention to the NCAA Division I First Four matchups and the controversy surrounding NC State’s seeding and performance under Will Wade.

The NCAA First Four takes place this week and officially begins the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. The games are played tonight and tomorrow night at the University of Dayton Arena and feature eight teams competing for four spots in the main 64-team bracket. The winners of these games will advance to the main tournament bracket and continue their March Madness run when the Round of 64 begins later in the week. Tonight, the the Texas Longhorns men's basketball take on the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball. Did NC State earn their positioning in the NCAA Tournament First Four? Should they have been a higher seed or missed the tournament altogether? How does Will Wade feel about the current state of the Wolfpack?

Reese and Alex discuss the NC State asketball, the First Four and more.

The NCAA First Four takes place this week and officially begins the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. The games are played tonight and tomorrow night at the University of Dayton Arena and feature eight teams competing for four spots in the main 64-team bracket. Tonight, the UMBC Retrievers men's basketball play the Howard Bison men's basketball, and the winner will move on to face the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball. Then the Texas Longhorns men's basketball take on the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball. Tomorrow night, the Prairie View A&M Panthers men's basketball face the Lehigh Mountain Hawks men's basketball then later that night, the Miami RedHawks men's basketball face the SMU Mustangs men's basketball, with the winner advancing to play the Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball in the next round. The winners of these games will advance to the main tournament bracket and continue their March Madness run when the Round of 64 begins later in the week. Did NC State earn their positioning in the NCAA Tournament First Four? Should they have been a higher seed or missed the tournament altogether?

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex break down the 2026 NCAA Tournament, analyzing each region highlighting the top seeds, examine potential upsets and debate which teams have the best chances to make a deep March Madness run.

The NCAA First Four takes place this week and officially begins the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. The games are played on March 17 and March 18 at University of Dayton Arena and feature eight teams competing for four spots in the main 64-team bracket. The seeding for both the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament will be official following the "First Four" games. In the men’s tournament, the four No. 1 seeds are the Duke Blue Devils, Arizona Wildcats, Michigan Wolverines and Florida Gators. Who will make it out of each region?

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss this week’s NCAA First Four matchups, including NC State’s placement, potential snubs and surprises and which teams have the best chances to make a deep March Madness run.

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss if there were any issues with the NCAA Tournament seeding.

The seeding for the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament is determined through a process called bracketology, where the NCAA selection committees rank teams based on their performance during the season. In the men’s tournament, which features 68 teams, the four No. 1 seeds are the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball, Arizona Wildcats men's basketball, Michigan Wolverines men's basketball, and Florida Gators men's basketball. Were there any egregious mistakes, omisisons, additions, etc? Who are the early favorites to make the Final Four?

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex break down the top 16 seeds in the Women’s NCAA Tournament and analyze Duke's NCAA Tournament chances without Ngongba II and Foster.

The Saturday night championship game of the 2026 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament took place on March 14 in Charlotte and featured the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball against the Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball. Duke defeated Virginia 74-70. Duke was led by Isaiah Evans, who scored 20 points, while Cameron Boozer sealed the victory with two clutch free throws in the final seconds. The win gave Duke its second straight ACC tournament title under head coach Jon Scheyer and added another championship to the program’s long history in the conference. Both teams were already expected to make the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, so the game also helped determine their seeding heading into March Madness. Duke won this tournament championship without the services of two starters, Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II. Assuming both miss the NCAA Tournament, how much does the potential absence of both Foster and Ngongba II affect Duke's chances?

The seeding for both the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament and the 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament is determined through a process called bracketology, where the NCAA selection committees rank teams based on their performance during the season. In the women’s tournament, the four No. 1 seeds are the UConn Huskies women's basketball, UCLA Bruins women's basketball, Texas Longhorns women's basketball, and South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball. UConn earned the overall No. 1 seed after completing an undefeated regular season and entering the tournament on a long winning streak. Did the NCAA selection committees get it right? Was anyone ranked incorrectly?

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex speak with Phil Ford and Gene Banks.

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss Duke winning the ACC Tournament, the seeding in the men's and women's NCAA Tournament's and more.

Pam, Dr. Deborah Stroman and Alex speak with Michael Colyar and Big Vino.

Michael Colyar and Big Vino are comedians. Colyar discusses his new book "Little Bobby White," his shows this weekend at Goodnights Comedy Club and much more.

Pam, Dr. Deborah Stroman, Big Vino and Alex discuss the ACC Tournament, his Duke fandom and more.

The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball survived a late scare to defeat the Florida State Seminoles men's basketball 80-79 in a thrilling finish. Duke was led by freshman standout Isaiah Evans, who poured in 32 points and knocked down seven three-pointers to keep the Blue Devils in front during key stretches of the game. Florida State made a late push in the final minute, but Duke held on defensively to secure the one-point victory and advance to the semifinals, where they will take on the Clemson Tigers men's basketball with a spot in the ACC championship on the line.

Michael Colyar is performing this weekend at Goodnights Comedy Club in Raleigh from March 13-15, 2026. And Big Vino will be performing before Colyar. The showtimes are Friday at 7:00 PM and 9:15 PM, Saturday at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM and Sunday at 7:00 PM.

Pam, Dr. Deborah Stroman and Alex discuss the latest in NFL Free Agency, Dwight Howard, Aliyah Boston and more.

Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston, a key member of Team USA’s women’s program, has suffered a right lower‑extremity injury that will keep her out of the rest of the current Unrivaled season and has forced her to miss the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament as well. She Boston have been playing in Unrivaled or focused on preparing for her WNBA season?

Pam, Dr. Stroman and Alex speak with Ian Parks to discuss his weekend picks and Pam honors Dr. Stroman during Women's History Month.

Ian Parks from Always Bet On Black w/ Ian Parks joins the Sports Shop to share his picks in the NBA. Who will win this weekend: Arizona Wildcats or Iowa State Cyclones? 

Pam, Dr. Deborah Stroman and Alex discuss the highs and lows of Thursday’s ACC Tournament action, breaking down NC State’s tough loss to Virginia, Miami’s strong performance against Louisville and other ACC action yesterday in Charlotte.

The ACC Men's Basketball Tournament in Charlotte delivered an exciting night of quarterfinal action Thursday. The NC State Wolfpack men's basketball was eliminated from the tournament after falling 81-74 to Virginia in the quarterfinals. The Wolfpack stayed within striking distance for much of the second half and even trimmed the deficit to a few possessions late, but Virginia’s disciplined offense and strong free-throw shooting down the stretch helped seal the victory. Despite the loss, NC State showed resilience throughout the game, battling against one of the conference’s toughest defensive teams before ultimately coming up short.

The Miami Hurricanes men's basketball also picked up a big quarterfinal victory, defeating the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball 78-73 to move on to the semifinals. Miami leaned heavily on the scoring of Malik Reneau, who finished with 24 points and dominated the second half offensively. The Hurricanes controlled the tempo late in the game, hitting key shots and free throws to hold off Louisville’s attempts to rally. With the win, Miami advances to face the Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball in the semifinals as they look to continue their push toward an ACC title. Did you enjoy yesterday's ACC action?

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss whether Caleb Wilson truly deserved his 3rd Team All-American nod from Sporting News and how he stacks up against other top college stars this season.

North Carolina Tar Heel star Caleb Wilson was selected by Sporting News as a 3rd Team All-American. Did the voters get it right?