A Word on Tony Bennett:

The news just broke this afternoon that UVA has hired Washington State coach Tony Bennett as its replacement for Dave Leitao. The names that had been mentioned in this coaching search were many, from Tubby Smith to Jeff Capel (both not very realistic). I even heard Bob Knight's name mentioned. But in my opinion this is a solid hire from Craig Littlepage. Tony Bennett has done a great job with Washington State, inheriting the team from his father Dick Bennett, who was a great coach at Wisconsin.

What to expect with Tony Bennett's UVA squad? The game will be slowed down to a crawl. Bennett's teams are the type where the first to 50 wins. His Washington State teams had some of the lowest scoring games among major conference schools. They trying to shorten the game by taking their time on offense and building their foundation on solid defense. The question will be how that style will work in the ACC. There are certainly great defensive teams in the conference, but most teams like to run. The key certainly will be recruiting. I think it will take a couple years to get the type of players that he wants in his system. It won't be an instant turnaround.