Tony Bennett: Virginia's First Round Loss to Furman Was a "Gut Punch"

Watch the full postgame press conference with Tony Bennett, Isaac McKneely, and Reece Beekman following UVA's loss to Furman

Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

The Virginia basketball season came to an end with UVA's sudden and stunning 68-67 loss to Furman in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon in Orlando. The Cavaliers led by as many as 12 points in the second half, but a 19-4 run by the Paladins changed the tides. Virginia managed to regain the lead and led by four points with less than 20 seconds to go, but a turnover from Kihei Clark led to a three-pointer from JP Pegues with 2.2 seconds remaining and Furman went on to pull the upset. 

In the postgame press conference, Virginia head coach Tony Bennett spoke on the suddenness of the loss. "It's that feeling of - it's there and I think we're going on to the second round... and then it's gone. And that's a gut punch," Bennett said after the game. 

Watch the full postgame press conference with Tony Bennett, Isaac McKneely, and Reece Beekman in the video below, courtesy of Virginia Sports TV and the NCAA. 

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