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CBS Had To Replace Kenny Smith For Friday's NCAA Tournament Coverage

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Mar 20, 2026 1:54 PM ET

If you watched CBS' morning coverage of the NCAA Tournament then you might have noticed a different person sitting in Kenny Smith's seat.

Former NBA and NCAA champion Renee Montgomery joined Adam Zucker and Charles Barkley at the desk, with Zucker noting that Smith is "under the weather" for Day Two of the NCAA Tournament's first round. Last night Smith went home early, leaving the studio just before the end of the Howard-Michigan game. Whatever it was must have been bad to keep him at home overnight.

But Barkley, Smith's longtime broadcaster partner, had some fun with the whole situation and joked that Smith was probably just taking the day off to have some fun on a beach somwhere.

"Keep your shirt on at the beach, Kenny," Barkley said, after everyone else at the desk had wished him well.

Renee Montgomery is filling in for Kenny Smith today on March Madness studio coverage.

Kenny is under the weather.

Charles Barkley: "Keep your shirt on at the beach, Kenny." #MarchMadness #NCAATournament pic.twitter.com/7r9FZcRCeL
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 20, 2026

Crying over UNC?

While Smith most likely does need some bedrest when dealing with an illness (he's 61 after all), some fans suggested that he might have gotten sore over his alma mater North Carolina's dreadful day and is just struggling to cope.

In the span of a few hours, Tar Heels fans went from mocking arch-rival Duke for trailing against 16-seeded Siena to watching the Blue Devils advance to the Round of 32 only for their own team to fall to 11-seeded VCU and crash out of the tournament. It was their second straight one-and-done in the Round of 64 under head coach Hubert Davis.

Naturally, fans had jokes:

"Is he under the weather or crying about the UNC loss?" one user joked.

"That’s funny. Kenny seemed fine when Siena was winning. What a pro!" another remarked.

"Rough. Kenny needs to get well from that UNC loss immediately."

Mar 18, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images© Bob Donnan-Imagn Images.

North Carolina ended the season on a three-game losing streak and end with a 24-9 record. Their NCAA Tournament runner-up run in 2022 seems like a million years ago.

That probably isn't helping Smith through his health issues - whatever they are.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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