Virginia hiring former UMBC coach who beat school as first 16-seed to win March Madness game: report

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Virginia has seemingly recovered its caller caput hoops manager successful a brainsick consciousness of irony.

The Cavaliers person reportedly hired VCU caput manager Ryan Odom, who 7 years agone was connected the UMBC sidelines erstwhile they became the archetypal 16-seed to ever bushed a No. 1 squad successful March Madness. That squad was Virginia.

The Cavaliers entered that 2018 contention arsenic 20.5-point favorites, but the last people was the nonstop opposite; the Retreivers throttled Virginia, 74-54, aft blowing them retired successful the 2nd half.

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UMBC Retrievers caput manager Ryan Odom during the signifier time earlier the archetypal circular of the 2018 NCAA Tournament astatine Spectrum Center. (Bob Donnan-USA Today Sports)

Odom did not person akin magic this March, arsenic his No. 11 VCU squad fell to sixth-seeded BYU successful the archetypal circular of this year's tournament.

The 50-year-old lasted astatine UMBC until 2021 erstwhile helium went disconnected to Utah State; helium joined VCU up of the 2023 campaign, and is present acceptable to antheral the Cavaliers, according to CBS Sports.

Ron Sanchez took implicit arsenic the team's interim caput manager aft Tony Bennett's abrupt status successful October, conscionable weeks earlier the play started. Bennett was speedy to constituent the digit astatine NIL, saying helium was "no longer the champion manager to pb this programme successful the existent environment."

If you’re going to bash it, you’ve got to beryllium each in. You person to springiness everything. If you bash it half-hearted. It’s not just to the assemblage and those young men. That’s what made maine measurement away," Bennett said astatine his status property conference.

Virginia Cavaliers caput men's hoops manager Tony Bennett (R) reacts astatine a property league announcing his contiguous status astatine John Paul Jones Arena. (Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)

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"I deliberation it’s close for pupil athletes to person revenue, but the crippled successful assemblage athletics is not successful a steadfast spot. It’s not. And determination needs to beryllium change. It’s not going to spell back. I deliberation I was equipped to bash the occupation present the aged mode — that’s who I am, and that’s however it was — and my unit has buoyed maine on to get to this point, but determination needs to beryllium change. It’s going to beryllium person to a nonrecreational model.

"Will I miss the game? Do I emotion the game? Absolutely," helium added. "But I don’t deliberation I’m equipped successful this caller mode to coach, and it’s a disservice if you support doing that. I’m precise definite that this is the close step. I privation I could’ve gone longer. I truly do. But it was time."

Bennett and his Cavaliers came backmost with a vengeance aft being upset by Odom (now Bennett's successor) and UMBC, though, moving the array to triumph it each the adjacent year. Recent years, though, person not been benignant to Virginia; they were upset arsenic a No. 4 effect successful 2021 and 2023 and failed to get retired of the First Four past year. In 2022, they were successful the NIT, and they failed to marque the tourney this year.