Preferred Walk-Ons

Portal Talk

Over 20% of Division 1 college basketball scholarship athletes have entered the transfer portal. This has provided unprecedented freedom for players, but a whirlwind of confusion for fan bases. In this episode, we try to untangle whether this new era of collegiate free agency is good for sports and how fans should measure success. We discuss:
The success of the Virginia baseball team and looking ahead to the NCAA tournament
Fan angst about how the transfer portal and NIL are changing the college sports landscape
Brennan Armstrong and Robert Anae's performance in the NC State spring game
Changes that would improve the fan experience for spring games

Two Shining Moments

At the end of a chaotic college basketball season, the UConn men and the LSU women are the last teams standing. This episode takes a retrospective look at both programs' remarkable March runs and the most memorable moments from both NCAA tournaments. We interrupted Shutt's spring break vacation to discuss:
The remarkable history of "One Shining Moment"
UConn's position as a "Blue Blood" after a convincing win over San Diego State
How bad takes and poor officiating distracted from a thrilling women's tournament and LSU's offensive firepower in the title game
Our happiness with UConn and LSU as champions

Just Like We All Expected

The Final Four is set but the attendees are not your usual suspects. While these four teams prepare for the last weekend of the college basketball season, everyone else is navigating a turbulent start to the offseason. In this episode, we discuss:
The most memorable moments of the Sweet 16 and Elite games and the reasons behind this year's unconventional semifinal
Whether the game and coaching of college basketball is down or better than ever
Recent movement in the transfer portal, including major departures from UVA and NC State
An update to our "Which schools should be the best by recruiting location?" challenge

Let’s Win the Offseason

Only one ACC team survived the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament. Rather than wallow in misery, we enjoyed talking about the fun upsets and intriguing storylines from the first two rounds. In this episode, we discuss:
The college coaches most likely to forget their own players' names
The excitement of rooting for underdogs without a bracket
Virginia's shocking upset and national media narratives that surround the program
NC State's loss against Creighton and considerations for offseason roster construction
The value of having "conference pride" during the tournament and our rooting interests with our teams eliminated
The upcoming slate of Sweet Sixteen games, including predictions and best bets
High-profile coaching hires and another edition of "Coach Speak of the Week"

A Tournament Without Carolina

At long last, the NCAA tournament field is set. Both Virginia and NC State will be playing in the South Region, while Carolina sits at home. Following an exciting championship week of college basketball, we discuss:
The ACC tournament and the coaching changes at Georgia Tech and Syracuse
Our takeaways from other conference tournaments and UNC being left out of March Madness
Our breakdown of each region, including the most intriguing games, likely upsets, and best bets

Carolina Bubble Trouble

It's the most wonderful time of the year! It's the first week of March which means tickets to the NCAA tournament are being punched, bubbles are popping, and bracketologists are earning their hard-earned paychecks. In this week's episode, we discuss:
UNC's perilous position on the bubble and our predictions for the ACC tournament
Our picks for every other major conference tournament
The strangeness of the WAC tournament seeding system
Our predictions for the Wooden Award and national coach of the year

Nothing But NET

It is starting to feel like March. Following a turbulent weekend of college hoops, particularly in the ACC, it's tough to know which programs to trust. In this basketball-centric episode, we discuss:
The shocking revelations about Brandon Miller and Alabama basketball
The reasons behind Virginia basketball's recent slump
The NET and the use of analytics in evaluating tournament-caliber teams
A crazy weekend in the ACC leading up to the final week of the regular season
Email the show at preferredwalkons@yahoo.com or follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@PWOPod).

To Those Left Behind

For this special episode, we sat down with Sports Illustrated contributor and former NCAA magazine writer Brian Burnsed. Brian is a three-time Livingston Awards finalist and has written extensively about the intersection of sports and public health. We discuss:
His new piece on how NFL players are managing the fear of watching their colleagues die young
How the game of football and its surrounding culture have evolved at all levels given an increased focus on player safety
The rapidly evolving landscape of high school and college sports in the wake of the pandemic
Some ACC basketball "Dudes to Remember"
You can always email the show at preferredwalkons@yahoo.com. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram (@PWOPod). Make sure to give Brian a follow as well (@BrianBurnsed) and read his most recent article for SI.

Controversy!

No program in college basketball has had a more eventful week than Virginia. In this episode, we break down UVA's last two games and look ahead to the upcoming NCAA tournament. We discuss:
Virginia men's and women's program defeating ranked NC State teams
UVA's narrow and controversial win over Duke
Other news and notes from the weekend's slate of games, and how replay impacts the viewing experience 
Our picks for teams most likely to make a tournament run at each projected seed line
All hate mail about Shutt's criticism of UVA fans can be sent directly to preferredwalkons@yahoo.com. Or you can engage with us on Twitter or Instagram @PWOPod.

The Ultimate ACC Road Trip

The race for the ACC regular season championship is closer than ever after a weekend of high-profile games. In this basketball-centric episode, we discuss:
Virginia's disappointing road loss to VPISU
NC State's ascendance in conference play and the upcoming match-up with UVA
Coach Speak of the Week with Jim Boeheim
Other big college basketball games from the weekend including Duke vs. UNC
The ultimate ACC football road trip following the release of the 2023 schedule