UVA basketball coach Tony Bennett had a couple of chances in a Sunday night conference call with the news media to address the snub from the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee that gave ACC runner-up Duke the #1 seed in the South and left the Cavs as the #2 seed in the East.
If you know Bennett at all, and the reporters on the phone call, including those asking the questions, know him well, you weren’t surprised with his responses.
“What Duke did – they beat us head-to-head at home, they beat Wisconsin, a one seed, there, and how they played of late – you could definitely make the case (for Duke to get a #1 seed), and most people had thought that,” Bennett said.
“Had we been chosen as a number one seed, it would have been great. But the two seed, so much of this is how you play and matchups.
“I don’t lose any sleep over that. I’m not frustrated. I’m certainly excited about what’s there, and thankful to be in Charlotte and being a two seed and knowing what we’ve got to do.”
That was effort #1 at getting Bennett to say that the NCAA screwed Virginia. There was an effort #2. That one didn’t work, either.
“Rankings, seeding, all those things, that’s more, I think it is for the fans,” Bennett said. “We’ve been around this long enough. We don’t worry too much about that stuff at all. This is a great opportunity. The fact that we lost a tough one at Louisville and a tough one at the ACC Tournament, we wish we would have played a little better and won those games. But we know what tournament ball is all about. We’ve got to certainly prepare well and be excited and ready for the challenges ahead.”
Speaking on behalf of the Virginia sports media, hey, we tried.
– Column by Chris Graham
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