How would you fix UVA's NCAA tourney issues?

[brooky03]

Jim Boeheim coached the first 2 seed to lose to a 15. 5 years later, he was playing for a national championship. 7 years after that, he was cutting down the nets in the final game.

Bennet is a HoF caliber coach with a historically great start to his career. Anybody who wants him fired is just wrong.

 

[ExitFlagger]

FAHR BENNETT

 

[CardHack]

I was going to talk about the injury problems and the timing of them with regard to Anderson and Hunter, because it points to a broader issue with UVA. Regular season success and tourney success are different variables, and since the Freedom of Movement commitment with the NCAA it has become apparent that you need shotmakers and creators. Short shot clock someone who can take limited access and withering pressure and turn it into a bucket. We lacked it in 2012 and just got by on defense; in 2013 we had it with Russ Smith and took that next step. Michigan had it that same year with Burke and good complimenting parts on the wings. Nova and UNC had that in their tourney runs.

UVa due to a style of play that has limited possessions puts alot of pressure on themselves as a result.
I really think when one of those critical components gets pulled late like it did for UVA, it hamstrings them in ways most teams accustomed to having greater possession numbers take for granted.

 

[ravenman10]

Bill Self said it best when he said, you can coach’em up all you want but at some point you need a dude that can just get buckets. I don’t think Virginia has had that.

In the tournament you will run into a team that will take away everything you want to run. At that point you need a guy you can put the ball in his hands and say just go get me a basket.

Kemba Walker did that and led a team all the way. Eventually the best talent finds its way to the final 4. Jim Boeheim can zone his way deep but he will run into a couple guys who just decide to make plays. He won Because he had Carmelo to get buckets. Bennett can X & O his way through the regular season but the tourney is about players.

I also think it is a MUST to be able to create easy points in the tourney. You can’t rely on playing 5v5. You have to get out and score in transition. 8 transition points can be the difference between winning and losing. Very rarely do I see Virginia getting out and pushing pace to score before the defense is set. The hardest thing to do in basketball is score on a set defense with a team playing with their backs against the wall. Plus those transition dunks take a mental toll.

 

[Quavarius]

Virginia reminds me of Georgia Tech's (football) option offense. It looks great when you're ahead, but when you're trailing, it's hard to manufacture points quickly unless the other team helps them.

Duke almost beat UVA had it not been for some key turnovers by Duval late in the game (as well as Jerome's 3 pointer). Louisville almost beat UVA as well if it wasn't for a mistake at the end.

You can get by on others mistakes in the regular season but come Tournament time, everyone is usually crisp when it comes to valuing possessions.

 

[jhmossy]

They need to fire Tony Bennett in order to cure their March Madness woes, once a choke artist, always a choke artist. The problem is, they are most likely not able to find a better coach than him unless a miracle happens, and you have to make it to the tournament before thinking about a deep tournament run.

Tough situation, maybe they should just settle in mediocrity with Tony Bennett, at least they should still be able to make it to NCAA or NIT tournament under him.

This is the same guy that started the "Should Villanova fire Jay Wright" thread LMAO

 

[Ipartiedwithhopgood]

They need to fire Tony Bennett in order to cure their March Madness woes, once a choke artist, always a choke artist. The problem is, they are most likely not able to find a better coach than him unless a miracle happens, and you have to make it to the tournament before thinking about a deep tournament run.

Tough situation, maybe they should just settle in mediocrity with Tony Bennett, at least they should still be able to make it to NCAA or NIT tournament under him.

Oh my

 

[dukedevilz]

This is the same guy that started the "Should Villanova fire Jay Wright" thread LMAO

It's like the Madden cover, only he's promoting negativity. And being blatantly wrong turns out to be a fantastic thing for the subject at hand.

 

[thebasketballreasons]

This is the same guy that started the "Should Villanova fire Jay Wright" thread LMAO

Hey I didnt say they should fire Tony Bennett, did I? If you read the post more carefully, my recommendation was to keep Tony Bennett since they wouldnt be able to find a better replacement. It was a good suggestion in the very end.

 

[jhmossy]

Hey I didnt say they should fire Tony Bennett, did I? If you read the post more carefully, my recommendation was to keep Tony Bennett since they wouldnt be able to find a better replacement. It was a good suggestion in the very end.

They need to fire Tony Bennett in order to cure their March Madness woes, once a choke artist, always a choke artist. .

 

[theetommyt]

I think if Tony Bennett gets a couple more years maybe he'll be able to break through the the final 4, and maybe even win a National Championship.

 

[thebasketballreasons]

You should read the entire post bro.

 

[theetommyt]

You should read the entire post bro.

I did, my post was a joke bro.

 

[IUfanBorden]

What's the solution? Clearly, there's something that works well in the regular season and is failing to work in the NCAA tournament. Is the regular season success a fluke? Or is the NCAA failure a fluke? Both? Neither? Is it all style of play? Is the solution just to play faster? I'm clueless on how we could go 31-2 before the NCAA tourney and then lose by 20 points to a 16-seed.

Simple:

lose to a 16 seed every other year...

Problem solved.

Next..

 

[IUfanBorden]

I still don't think it's a system issue. I really don't.

For one, winning in the NCAAT is really hard to do. Two, you were playing without your most important player. Three, you guys just ran into a buzzsaw and your players looked scared as shit and panicked. I recognized that look, unfortunately, from both 2012 and 2014. It sucks.

But mostly what it is, IMO, is talent. And don't take that the wrong way....UVA has talent. They don't become the program they are without it. But I think you guys lack 'elite' level talent. Bennett gets more out of his kids, or as much, as any coach in the country....so much so that I think most players reach their ceiling. It's just not always enough.

I still think Bennett is consistent enough that eventually you break through to a Final Four. It took a lot of really great coaches a lot longer to make that deep of a run....and some of those guys were at powerhouse programs, too. I know today, the last three days and the future will suck because of the embarrassment and nothing I tell you with change that now, but I think you need to continue trusting the process....as hard as it may seem right now.

I agree ....IMO was has hurt UVA is they haven't had, "THAT guy".

 

[IUfanBorden]

How do you fix the offensive system though? Just take shots earlier in the shot clock?

Yep. When you have limited possessions, you really shrink your window for error. For example---If you only have 54 possessions, then 7 or 8 turnovers are brutal...But if you have 70 possessions, its not as taxing. Or something like that...IMO, I think the system is fine---just needs to be, well, sped up. More possessions.

 

[thebasketballreasons]

I did, my post was a joke bro.

sorry I was referring to jhmossy.

 

[jhmossy]

You should read the entire post bro.

I did read the entire post bro. You said "Hey I didn't say they should fire Tony Bennett, did I?" and I quoted, bolded, and highlighted the part where you said "They need to fire Tony Bennett in order to cure their March Madness woes". Just because you said we couldn't find anyone better (which is definitely true) doesn't negate the fact that you said what you said.

 

[Villian07]

Hey I didnt say they should fire Tony Bennett, did I? If you read the post more carefully, my recommendation was to keep Tony Bennett since they wouldnt be able to find a better replacement. It was a good suggestion in the very end.

Will you start a fire Chris Mack thread for shits and giggles???

 

[thebasketballreasons]

I did read the entire post bro. You said "Hey I didn't say they should fire Tony Bennett, did I?" and I quoted, bolded, and highlighted the part where you said "They need to fire Tony Bennett in order to cure their March Madness woes". Just because you said we couldn't find anyone better (which is definitely true) doesn't negate the fact that you said what you said.

Well if they want to stop the tournament woes, then they need to fire Tony Bennett. Just look at bill self, even after winning in 2008 would not stop him from choking in 2010 to Northern Iowa, 2011 to VCU, 2014 to Stanford and 2015 to WSU. There’s a pattern here, once a choke artist, always a choke artist. Some things will never change, with or without a final four run or national title.

However, as I also mentioned, UVA isn’t a traditional powerhouse, not even close to Nova which already won in 1980s. Firing Tony Bennett will not likely to help you get a better coach, most likely you will end up with a mediocre coach that can’t even take you to the March madness. Just look at Pitt, Jamie Dickson is a famous choke artist, but yet they were better under him since no other coach Pitt hires can take them to the tournament.

For this reason, I did say that I would recommend UVA to keep Tony Bennett, despite the fact that he would most likely choke again in future. At least he gets you to the tournament, and with enough chances he will have a fluke run every few years, like it already happened in 2019.

You can’t have tourney woes if you won’t even make the tourney, but is this what you want? Then you see my point.

 

[jhmossy]

Well if they want to stop the tournament woes, then they need to fire Tony Bennett. Just look at bill self, even after winning in 2008 would not stop him from choking in 2010 to Northern Iowa, 2011 to VCU, 2014 to Stanford and 2015 to WSU. There’s a pattern here, once a choke artist, always a choke artist. Some things will never change, with or without a final four run or national title.

However, as I also mentioned, UVA isn’t a traditional powerhouse, not even close to Nova which already won in 1980s. Firing Tony Bennett will not likely to help you get a better coach, most likely you will end up with a mediocre coach that can’t even take you to the March madness. Just look at Pitt, Jamie Dickson is a famous choke artist, but yet they were better under him since no other coach Pitt hires can take them to the tournament.

For this reason, I did say that I would recommend UVA to keep Tony Bennett, despite the fact that he would most likely choke again in future. At least he gets you to the tournament, and with enough chances he will have a fluke run every few years, like it already happened in 2019.

You can’t have tourney woes if you won’t even make the tourney, but is this what you want? Then you see my point.

So losing games early is choking but winning it all is a fluke? Got it.

 

[Villian07]

Your point is “I’m back peddling like hell bc Bennet and UVA proved me wrong, and plus there’s a chance Bennett will choke again in the future”

Teams can choke in the SS or EE just as easily as They can choke in the first weekend.

 

[829305]

I was saying that Bennett will not take them close to final four in future, as I said in another thread that they would suffer setbacks and return to mediocrity. He took them there once, but it will not happen again after this historical upset.

Nailed it.