Bennett is truly one of the great coaches in college basketball. Blowing a big lead on a big stage doesn't erase that. But it does become a significant bullet point at this stage of his 10-year career. He can and will recover from this -- if "recover" is even the right word. We can all tend to get a little melodramatic with this sports stuff and the program should stay strong under his mentorship. This was his first Elite Eight and almost certainly won't be his last. People will question Virginia's tempo and its style, but really, this was a freak run by a legendary coach on the opposite sideline. Let's just pause for some perspective. Bennett is a top-notch coach and the program isn't going anywhere.
Virginia won 112 games the past four seasons with this group, which ties a program record. Bennett is undefeated in the NCAA Tournament against coaches who don't have "Hall of Fame" attached to their resume. Against the ones who are enshrined up in Springfield, Massachusetts? Now 0-4.
Virginia won 112 games the past four seasons with this group, which ties a program record. Bennett is undefeated in the NCAA Tournament against coaches who don't have "Hall of Fame" attached to their resume. Against the ones who are enshrined up in Springfield, Massachusetts? Now 0-4.
