Virginia didn’t get off to a great start in 2020. In fact, the Cavaliers lost four of their first six games in January. This was after losing at Purdue, 69-40, and at home against South Carolina, 70-59, in December.
Well, Virginia (22-7), which started the season 12-6, has won 10 of its last 11 games and is ranked 22nd in the country. Not bad for Tony Bennett and the defending national champions.
“They’re in position to come in second or maybe even tie for first in the ACC,” ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg said on The Zach Gelb Show. “Tony’s done an incredible job. We’ve had great coaching jobs this year. Greg Gard’s done a great job, Tony Bennett’s done a great job – Mick Cronin’s done an absolutely incredible job. Ed Cooley, the job he’s done – five wins against the Top 25 in the month of February.”
Those wins came against Butler, Creighton, Seton Hall, Marquette and Xavier.
“[Cooley] had a great line,” Greenberg said. “He said, ‘I was trying to keep everyone happy, and I was miserable.’ So he said, ‘I’d rather be happy and they be miserable,’ and they’ve gotten back to playing Providence basketball: defend, rebound, be physical, share the ball; if you don’t defend, you’re not playing.”
This is what Greenberg loves about college basketball, especially this time of year.
“College basketball never disappoints,” he said. “It never disappoints. Everyone [is] doom-and-gloom. ‘No Zion, no dominant team, no this, no that.’ Turn on the TV every night. Every single stinking night there is a great game and a great ending, and you got guys playing their rear-ends off to prove their seeding in their conference tournament, to make the tournament, to stay on the bubble, to be off the bubble – whatever it is. All the doom-and-gloom – ‘I don’t like the officiating, I don’t like this, I don’t like that’ – I’ve had it. College basketball never disappoints. It’s about time we start to celebrate college basketball.”