Tony Bennett

[CU44SE]

2018 - First 1 seed to lose to a 16

2019 - Championship

2020 - Covid

2021 - First round loss as 4 seed

2022 - NIT

2023 - First round loss as a 4 seed.

1 seed - 4 times
2 seed - 1 time
4 seed - 2 times
5 seed - 1 time
10 seed - 1 time

Sweet 16 - 3
Elite 8 - 2
Final Four - 1

That championship is really saving his legacy, job security. For as good as they have been. Their style of basketball has allowed lesser teams to hang around in the tournament.

Championships are forever lasting. So obviously the guy is an amazing coach. But that goes to show how hard it is to win in March.

 

[FloridaCuse]

2018 - First 1 seed to lose to a 16

2019 - Championship

2020 - Covid

2021 - First round loss as 4 seed

2022 - NIT

2023 - First round loss as a 4 seed.

1 seed - 4 times
2 seed - 1 time
4 seed - 2 times
5 seed - 1 time
10 seed - 1 time

Sweet 16 - 3
Elite 8 - 2
Final Four - 1

That championship is really saving his legacy, job security. For as good as they have been. Their style of basketball has allowed lesser teams to hang around in the tournament.

Championships are forever lasting. So obviously the guy is an amazing coach. But that goes to show how hard it is to win in March.

First 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed. Got us off the hook for our 1991 loss to Richmond at Cole Field House as the first 2 seed to lose to a 15 seed. A game I attended. And am still sick about 32 years later. Ugh!

 

[Delmar]

Arizona is the first team to lose twice as a 2 seed. I think we are off the hook, finally.

 

[PoppyHart]

Bennett has never lost to a top-3 seed with UVA.

He’s also never beaten a top-3 seed, except for 2018. (Purdue & TTU in OT).

 

[Ragman2000]

Lost to a double digit seed in '16 too.

On a side note, If I ever open an international whorehouse, I'd call it "London's Smelly Fingers."

 

[dan7800]

Arizona is the first team to lose twice as a 2 seed. I think we are off the hook, finally.

I remember watching the Santa Clara game on TV.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

 

[asj410]

View attachment 226098

Between that bozo and Perrantes's antics, there was so much sweet karma in that game.

 

[djorange1989]

First 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed. Got us off the hook for our 1991 loss to Richmond at Cole Field House as the first 2 seed to lose to a 15 seed. A game I attended. And am still sick about 32 years later. Ugh!

I had a bad feeling about that Richmond game the entire day, same as I did with the Rhode Island and Vermont games. I could always feel those damn upsets in my bones. I didn’t see Navy coming in 1986, however

 

[orangefog]

I had a bad feeling about that Richmond game the entire day, same as I did with the Rhode Island and Vermont games. I could always feel those damn upsets in my bones. I didn’t see Navy coming in 1986, however

The bone conversation is in another thread.

 

[Eric15]

If I ever open an international whorehouse, I'd call it "London's Smelly Fingers."

You should take this idea on Shark Tank.

 

[Col. Bleep]

I gotta defend Tony Bennett.
In most respects he's built UVA into a very tough team...unless you're a much lower seed in the tournament.
They slow it down, play tough D, rarely take bad shots and won a national championship...all usually without top level recruits.

Another up and coming coach,...keep an eye on the Fairleigh Dickinson coach, Tobin Anderson.
FDU was 4-22 last year.
He comes in and takes them to 20-15 and the NCAA Tournament.
Not that he'll win it, but that's coach of the year material.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

I loved his Washington St teams but I can't stand UVA hate them as much as I ever did Uconn their success comes directly at our expense and its us who should be cleaning up this overrated league.



He had a good season I mean they played a great game until the last 5 minutes if your opponents 3s keep dropping its not easy to win. He closed the one year he had his best team and he doesn't run his program to be a top team every year develops players etc. 2019 cancelled out a bunch of these chokes.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Since the NCAAT expanded to 64 teams UVA had...

-zero Championships before Bennett
-zero Final Fours before Bennett
-two Elite 8s before Bennett which he has matched
-three Sweet 16s before Bennett which he has matched
-eleven NCAA Ts before Bennett and he has 9 (woulda had 10 in 2020)


I hate his style of play. They are like the Pitt of the ACC. But he pretty much is UVA BBall. There wasn't a whole lot before him.

 

[M2MPrinciples]

I gotta defend Tony Bennett.
In most respects he's built UVA into a very tough team...unless you're a much lower seed in the tournament.
They slow it down, play tough D, rarely take bad shots and won a national championship...all usually without top level recruits.

Another up and coming coach,...keep an eye on the Fairleigh Dickinson coach, Tobin Anderson.
FDU was 4-22 last year.
He comes in and takes them to 20-15 and the NCAA Tournament.
Not that he'll win it, but that's coach of the year material.

Yeah, hating on Bennett like Forde did last night is a really stupid take. I get that it's not the most fun style to watch but any program in UVA's state prior to Brogdon, Perrantes, et. al would gladly take a bucket of first-round upsets if it meant they'd get a natty and six ACC titles.

 

[hoopsupstate]

Bennet’s success in the NCAA tournament looks similar to Boeheim’s first few years in the tournament. JB struggled the first several years in the tournament. SU had a lot of early exits. I dare to say SU had better talent than Virginia.

 

[Day2]

I gotta defend Tony Bennett.
In most respects he's built UVA into a very tough team...unless you're a much lower seed in the tournament.
They slow it down, play tough D, rarely take bad shots and won a national championship...all usually without top level recruits.

Another up and coming coach,...keep an eye on the Fairleigh Dickinson coach, Tobin Anderson.
FDU was 4-22 last year.
He comes in and takes them to 20-15 and the NCAA Tournament.
Not that he'll win it, but that's coach of the year material.

Maybe you weren’t one of those people, but so many over the last several years have criticized JB for sticking with his system against inferior opponents, when athleticism and skill level should be enough to do the job. That’s exactly why Bennett keeps choking in the tournament.

 

[Day2]

Bennet’s success in the NCAA tournament looks similar to Boeheim’s first few years in the tournament. JB struggled the first several years in the tournament. SU had a lot of early exits. I dare to say SU had better talent than Virginia.

And faced better talent. Sure, losing to Navy sounds bad on paper. Navy with David Robinson changes things.

 

[orangecuse]

Bennet’s success in the NCAA tournament looks similar to Boeheim’s first few years in the tournament. JB struggled the first several years in the tournament. SU had a lot of early exits. I dare to say SU had better talent than Virginia.

Yeah, I recall those earlier days of early round exits, etc. And, how around town back then there was a lot of chatter in how JB was a "real good recruiter" but not so much of a coach, or along those lines.

I also remember, perhaps it was the '87 run, the Post Standard running with the "monkey off your back" moniker/idiom type headline after overcoming that hurdle.

Bennett got his national championship sooner than it took JB, age 49 vs. 58.

 

[orangecuse]

And faced better talent. Sure, losing to Navy sounds bad on paper. Navy with David Robinson changes things.

It does. However, I recall that game quite vividly as I was there. We had beaten Navy earlier in the year rather easily. We were considerable favorites in the 2nd round tourney game. Additionally, we had the Pearl. Moreover, it was played in the Carrier Dome! It was considered a pretty big upset at the time.

 

[Day2]

It does. However, I recall that game quite vividly as I was there. We had beaten Navy earlier in the year rather easily. We were considerable favorites in the 2nd round tourney game. Additionally, we had the Pearl. Moreover, it was played in the Carrier Dome! It was considered a pretty big upset at the time.

For sure. Doesn’t hold a candle to UMBC, though.

 

[djcon57]

IMO, Bennett's offensive gameplan does deserve criticism.

As others said, feels very Pitt-like it that it doesn't play in March. Obviously the year they won they had the offensive talent which helps and you could suggest they just dont have the talent. And maybe it is that somewhat...but they should be able to beat Furman 9 times out of 10. And basically should have won that game if not for missed FTs and an absurd mistake at the end

Doesn't mean he's a bad coach or should be fired or anything else dumb like that.

 

[721Comstock]

It does. However, I recall that game quite vividly as I was there. We had beaten Navy earlier in the year rather easily. We were considerable favorites in the 2nd round tourney game. Additionally, we had the Pearl. Moreover, it was played in the Carrier Dome! It was considered a pretty big upset at the time.

Ditto.

Naturally, having easily handled Navy earlier that season, everyone assumed it would be another walk in the park.
Especially in the Dome.

What none of us knew, is that some young Midshipman named David Robinson had since been promoted to Admiral.
He was literally unstoppable that day, and seemingly fouled out our entire team.

I remember shuffling out of the Dome and dejectedly trudging back home in utter disbelief at what had just happened.

 

[Sherman20]

Since the NCAAT expanded to 64 teams UVA had...

-zero Championships before Bennett
-zero Final Fours before Bennett
-two Elite 8s before Bennett which he has matched
-three Sweet 16s before Bennett which he has matched
-eleven NCAA Ts before Bennett and he has 9 (woulda had 10 in 2020)


I hate his style of play. They are like the Pitt of the ACC. But he pretty much is UVA BBall. There wasn't a whole lot before him.

I agree. But Virginia also has a decent history that people ignore. Terry Holland was a good coach, the Ralph Sampson teams were great, and you might remember they beat us in 1984 on the way to the Final Four (without Sampson). Before Bennett, they were never elite but were a solid program in the 80s and 90s.

 

[longtimefan]

I remember watching the Santa Clara game on TV.

If we had watched closely, we may have seen an inkling of what Steve Nash would become.