Stephen A. Smith Calls For Tony Bennett’s Job Following UVA’s Pathetic Play-In Tournament Showing

ESPN

Tony Bennett’s University of Virginia Cavaliers put up just 42 total points in their NCAA Tournament play-in-game loss to the Colorado State Rams.

And despite the fact that Bennett won a National Championship with UVA back in 2019, First Take commentator and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith believes that the performance should cost Bennett his job.

“It’s not funny. And I take no joy in saying this. But if were me, I’d fire him. Strictly because of being boring. Literally. I’m not questioning his ability as a coach, at all — he’s a national champion, for crying out loud. But you cannot be that boring, that unappealing for so long and get away with it,” Smith said on the Wednesday, March 20 episode of First Take.

“Virginia scored 14 points in the first half. They go the final 9:20 of the first half scoreless, and the final 10:30 of the game without a field goal. Think about that for a second. There isn’t a level that I’ve seen that level of atrocity on offense on a basketball court.”

With their win over the UVA Cavaliers, the Colorado State Rams advanced to the official first round of the NCAA Tournament, which will see them take on the 7th-seeded University of Texas Longhorns on Thursday, March 21 at 6:50 p.m. EST.

UVA’s pitiful performance also confirmed the many complaints that college basketball fans had about them being admitted to the tournament in the first place.

In Tuesday night’s other play-in game, 16th-seeded Wagner advanced past fellow 16-seed Howard, which earned them the right to take on the #1 seed University of North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday, March 21 at 2:45 p.m. The other #1 seeds in the tournament are the University of Houston, Purdue University, and the University of Connecticut, who are the defending champions.

The NCAA Tournament will officially begin on Thursday, March 21 with a matchup between Michigan State and Mississippi State at 12:15 p.m. EST.