Pat Forde - Virginia built to fail in March

[OttoinGrotto]

I don’t get this stuff. They lost two games ALL YEAR. How does a 1-game elimination tourney change who you are. Saying they are not built for March is absurd and probably something they said about JB 20 years ago. UVA was battle tested in the ACC (they won more games than anyone ever), they play great (not good) defense and they have balance generally on offense.

They played a bad game and UMBC played a great one. Nothing else can be extrapolated from the result but that.

Nobody would click on that article, so it wouldn't do much for Forde.

 

[longislandcuse]

Im a big tb fan too. This crap happens for whatever reason. Not sure it makes tony any less of a coach...

That being said, i skimmed their board today, they havent signed a top 150 player in two years. Thats crazy

That's bizarre. It seemed like he was on an uptick with recruiting up until now. Last night surely won't help. If I'm a recruit, UVA is toxic for a little while.

 

[upperdeck]

it was pretty obvious all year that to beat them you had to speed up the game.. few teams tried it.. even SU got back into the UV game by pressing and we had no bodies to use..

 

[NYCSUGrad]

Yeah,neither was Boeheim early in his career. How soon we forget about our teams that would never get out of the second round. Bennett will get them over...and soon. He is a Great coach.

There's a special Jeopardy question now for Tony Bennett that there may not have been for Boeheim being the first number 2 seed to lose to a 15 seed. It ain't the same thing.

Although to be fair it should have happened decades ago when Princeton played Georgetown and got screwed by the refs.

 

[pfister1]

This is as much BS as were the claims that SU couldn't play and JB couldn't coach because they couldn't get past the UNC Charlottes, Western Kentuckys, Penns, Iowas and Navys of the World early in JB's career. A one and done tournament is an exceptionally difficult environment to have to forge a reputation in.

Tony Bennett is a fantastic coach that I would kill to have replace JB when JB retires. He puts together winning teams. Like another board favorite, Jay Wright, he seems to exude class at all times. We should be so lucky as to have him be the next guy leading our program.

Unfortunately, for him he has hit a couple of major potholes on the way. He will get over the hump in the NCAA tournament, just like JB did, and ten years later people will wonder how they ever questioned his coaching ability.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Bennett's challenge is going to be the sense of vulnerability. Regardless of seed going forward, teams won't fear him in the tournament.

 

[gbo]

You guys are the only other ACC team that I like.

Hey!

 

[Cusefan0307]

Winning in March is hard. The higher seeds often play tight the first couple rounds as they are expected to win. Coaches need to adapt. A lot of coaches have gone through this early in their career including JB.

Let’s not forget JB has been a lot better in the tournament the last 20 years than his first 20 and you can argue he was better in the regular season those first two decades.

 

[scottynguyen]

Pat Forde is a douchenozzle.

 

[721Comstock]

Pat Forde is a douchenozzle.

That is an insult!

To douchenozzles.

 

[Sherman20]

Gee Pat, I wonder how Syracuse has done it with their rigid slow down defense?

You are the worst kind of Monday morning quarterback with arrogance that defines a loser.

Virginia found itself without their dynamo, in Hunter, that could well have changed the pace in the early part of the game. They also came up against an all or nothing game from UMBC that was far and away the best they could ever play in their lives.

Too strip the great season Virginia had from them with an outlier of a game is sophomoric drivel.

I mean, Virginia beat UNC twice, a team that’s stylistically opposite of them. UNC loves to get out in transition, speed up the game, and they rebound like mad. I agree with what Kenny Smith said in the post-game, about UVA not being able to adjust when a team tries to impose their will, but the loss of Hunter definitely hurt them, and it may have done a number on their psyche too. And UMBC was just on another level last night and flat out couldn’t miss.

 

[jsshap]

I honestly kind of feel for Virginia. All that work accomplished throughout the season and bounced in first round.

HOWEVER, that performance by UMBC (whoever they are) was something special!

It does not seem possible but the sting for Virginia is really much deeper than just being the first 1 to lose to a 16. Not because of the way they lost but more because it follows the 2016 loss to SU which at the time was about as soul crushing as it gets. UVA has had an incredible run of success, if memory serves they lost as a 1 seed to a really good Michigan State team in 2014 in a tight very high caliber sweet 16 game, and then lost to Michigan State again the next year either again as a 1 seed or as a strong 2. And then came 2016; again as a 1, they were up 15 with 10 to go against a 10 seed, a team they were familiar with and had been successful against -- moments away from the final four, which would have effectively validated their sustained run of success and wiped away much of the disappointment of the Mich. State losses. Then Malachi went nuts and Virginia lost their composure and the result was the programs most disappointing loss in decades if not ever...until last night. Bennett and Brogdon were so classy in defeat in 2016. Another dominating ACC performance this year, the no doubt overall #1 seed, the bracket softens with the Arizona loss, and then this inexplicable loss. That game was so epic it was fun for most of the nation to witness (I told my kids 3 days ago that a 1 would NEVER lose to a 16...oops), but you really have to feel for Bennett and the program. Bennett's one of the classiest coaches in all of sports and it will be nice to see if they break through eventually.

 

[Cowtown]

Talking heads gotta talk, even when they don't know what they're talking about. Nobody's program is "built to fail." Good grief, that's just self-serving, "Look how smart I am!" Monday morning quarterback BS from someone who has never coached.

Sometimes all you can do is tip your cap and say, "Yep, they just plain beat us." Like I said in another thread, if the players don't execute it doesn't matter who the coach is or what the plan was. And sometimes a lesser team can get on a roll against a better team, and you just can't stop them. That's basketball. Anyone else recall losing to DePaul by like, about 50?

 

[cuseincincy]

First of all Pat Forde is a douche and always has been. Secondly, Tony Bennett is a classy coach, class person and always has been. I won't say Bennett is over rated because he and his team's have earned their accolades. But, hes not perfect. Some valid points are raised against him. His team's win ugly. On purpose. They have been a little similar to Syracuse in the win ugly way but more successful lately. But SU does it out of necessity. They do it on purpose. That is my criticism of Bennett. It works for them most of the time but leaves little room for error and yesterday they errored. And their opponent was hot and they has no answer to that. 53 points in the 2nd half!? I never would have believed Kansas or Duke or Nova could have done that against them. UMBC? Simply incredible!

 

[Shenexon]

Virginia had a great and memorable season. I hope the memory of a great season is better than the first #1 to lose in the first round. I'm mainly sorry for Hoo's That, a good poster here and more of a family member than a rival. I lived in Virginia for 30 years and they were my third favorite team most years...two of my kids went to William & Mary. Hang in there Hoo's That...If you need a place to hold up, I'm in Colorado and don't have cable or Satellite TV...

 

[Cowtown]

First of all Pat Forde is a douche and always has been. Secondly, Tony Bennett is a classy coach, class person and always has been. I won't say Bennett is over rated because he and his team's have earned their accolades. But, hes not perfect. Some valid points are raised against him. His team's win ugly. On purpose. They have been a little similar to Syracuse in the win ugly way but more successful lately. But SU does it out of necessity. They do it on purpose. That is my criticism of Bennett. It works for them most of the time but leaves little room for error and yesterday they errored. And their opponent was hot and they has no answer to that. 53 points in the 2nd half!? I never would have believed Kansas or Duke or Nova could have done that against them. UMBC? Simply incredible!

Yep, every time I switched over, the ball was going through the basket. Reminded me of those famous Mercer and Florida Gulf Coast wins.

 

[007]

Talking heads gotta talk, even when they don't know what they're talking about. Nobody's program is "built to fail." Good grief, that's just self-serving, "Look how smart I am!" BS from someone who has never coached.

Sometimes all you can do is tip your cap and say, "Yep, they just plain beat us." Like I said in another thread, if the players don't execute it doesn't matter who the coach is or what the plan was. And sometimes a lesser team can get on a roll against a better team, and you just can't stop them. That's basketball. Anyone else recall losing to DePaul by like, about 50?

I doubt there are many coaches anywhere who don't understand just how good Tony Bennett is, regardless of the epic disaster of last night.

 

[DomeStranger]

That article was trash and I feel dirty for clicking it.

Truth is UMBC played lights out and there was little mention of that. Its a 40 minute basketball game and college basketball has always been somewhat of a crapshoot.

So much credit needs to be given to UMBC over trying to place blame on Virginia. How many times have we seen teams in similar situations change their game after getting a 10-15 point lead? How many times have we bitched at JB for taking the air out of the ball after a big lead? UMBC kept playing their game, didn't change a thing and the shots kept falling. Congrats to them, for having the faith and the balls and keeping the hammer down.

 

[CousCuse]

Hey!

I like Clemson. It's just my impression that everyone in the state of South Carolina except yourself, has a deep enmityand loathing of Syracuse.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Forde is the worst. He takes the joy out of college basketball. And writing that article after the game makes him look mean spirited rather than insightful.

So he’s supposed to hold off on writing the article for a few days so as to not hurt peoples feelings? That’s not his job

 

[orangecuse]

I don’t get this stuff. They lost two games ALL YEAR. How does a 1-game elimination tourney change who you are. Saying they are not built for March is absurd and probably something they said about JB 20 years ago. UVA was battle tested in the ACC (they won more games than anyone ever), they play great (not good) defense and they have balance generally on offense.

They played a bad game and UMBC played a great one. Nothing else can be extrapolated from the result but that.

1000 likes...you're 100% correct. Just as JB said last night in his post game presser; "This tournament will break your heart."

 

[AZOrange]

1000 likes...you're 100% correct. Just as JB said last night in his post game presser; "This tournament will break your heart."

It’s broken ours about 30 times...

 

[NKR1978]

I honestly hate that this distinction now belongs to this man.

From an article over on the UVA Board:

Bennett’s greatest coaching challenge right now has little to do with basketball. It’s life lessons he’s taught along the way and making sure those have stuck with his players.

“I told our guys, we had a historic season. A historic season in terms of most wins in the ACC. A week ago we’re cutting down the nets and the confetti is falling. And then we make history by being the first one-seed to lose. I’m sure a lot of people will be happy about that. And it stings.

“I told the guys, this is life. It can’t define you. You enjoyed the good times and you gotta be able to take the bad times. When you step into the arena, the consequences can be historic losses, tough losses, great wins, and you have to deal with it.

“Maybe a one-seed will get beat again, maybe not. Maybe we'll be the only No. 1 seed to ever lose. It's life. It goes on. We'll have to get past that. For some reason this is what we've got to deal with, and my job now will be to say hey, how do we bounce back, our players and all that. But a life lesson is sitting there about defining yourself by maybe not what the world says, but there's other things that matter and then you get back to it.

“Phenomenal year. Can't take away an ACC Championship, can't take away the most wins, can't take away an ACC Conference Tournament, and can't take away so far being the first one-seed to get beat and lose.”

One thing that I enjoy about sports schadenfreude is the fact that in the long run, it doesn't matter. Tony Bennett isn't losing his job over this game. His players all woke up today and will wake up again tomorrow. It's the most important thing in the world that doesn't really matter.

 

[pfister1]

So he’s supposed to hold off on writing the article for a few days so as to not hurt peoples feelings? That’s not his job

No he's supposed to write it before the game happens to look insightful. Writing it after the game just looks like click bait for the UVA haters and the UVa fans that are in depression.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

No he's supposed to write it before the game happens to look insightful. Writing it after the game just looks like click bait for the UVA haters and the UVa fans that are in depression.

Nobody is ever going to pick a 16 to beat a 1