Always Bet On Black w/ Ian Parks + High Point Panthers Upset Wisconsin + What's Next For UNC?
Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex speak with Ian Parks to discuss his NCAA Tournament picks.
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: Texas Tech Red Raiders or Akron Zips? Alabama Crimson Tide or Hofstra Pride? Kansas Jayhawks or Cal Baptist?
The High Point Panthers pulled off a historic upset in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, knocking off the No. 5 seed Wisconsin Badgers 83-82 to record the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history. The win was a landmark moment for High Point basketball: not only its first NCAA Tournament victory ever, but also the first time the Panthers have taken down a Power 5 opponent in March Madness, elevating the program’s national profile and setting up a second‑round matchup with No. 4 Arkansas. This breakthrough comes in coach Flynn Clayman’s first season leading High Point after guiding the team to a 31-4 record and both a Big South regular‑season and tournament championship.
The North Carolina Tar Heels delivered one of the more painful collapses of the tournament, blowing a massive second-half lead in an 82-78 overtime loss to the VCU Rams. Once it reached overtime, it got even worse, UNC scored just three points while VCU completed the comeback, one of the largest in tournament history. The loss also puts a harsh spotlight on head coach Hubert Davis. After guiding UNC to the national title game in his first season and later winning ACC Coach of the Year, his tenure has become increasingly uneven, with a missed tournament in 2023 and now back-to-back early exits. Following this collapse, Davis faced questions about his late-game decisions, rotation, and the team’s inability to adjust as VCU surged. His postgame responses drew attention as well, as he appeared frustrated and somewhat at a loss to explain how the game slipped away.
Zooming out, this is the kind of loss that lingers. UNC came in with some expectations of making somehting of a run, but instead exits immediately after blowing a 19-point lead—raising real questions about the program’s direction under Davis.
