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Tony Bennett’s Ego-Driven Final Act as Virginia Coach

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Tony Bennett’s Ego-Driven Final Act as Virginia Coach


Tony Bennett was emotional and candid in saying goodbye to the Virginia Cavaliers and college basketball Friday. And perhaps calculating, too.

Bennett said he didn’t reach this decision to abruptly retire, less than three weeks before Virginia’s opener, until a recent fall getaway with his wife. He acknowledged thinking about it in the spring, when rumors were flying in the sport that he might hang it up. But then he signed a recruiting class, and a contract extension, and said he was excited for the season … until he suddenly wasn’t.

Maybe that’s an honest accounting of how it all went down. But this could be construed as a shrewd move designed to do two things:

Bennett isn’t built for college hoops in the 2020s, a time when athletes have more freedom and a lot of adults struggle with the concept. This was the last act of a coach who craves control.

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Bennett’s lack of adaptation to the modern world has little to do with his stodgy, stultifying but largely successful playing style. It’s more related to modern rules and player movement. (It’s less about NIL—he acknowledged that players should be compensated.) 

He’s an old 55 when it comes to the current state of the game, and he freely admitted that Friday. More than any of the other national championship coaches who have retired in recent years—from Jay Wright to Jim Boeheim to Mike Krzyzewski to Roy Williams—Bennett plainly stated that the current state of affairs is driving him away.

He called himself “a square peg in a round hole.” He said his staff “pulled me along” in the new era by handling most of the conversations with players’ agents. He said college athletics “is not in a healthy spot,” and that it needs to “get back to regulations and guardrails. There’s things that need to change.”

NCAA regulations and guardrails have been getting routed in the courts for the past several years, so this yearning for yesteryear might be a losing fight. But there was one battle Bennett could still win, and that was the timing and nature of his retirement.

If he’d retired last spring, the transfer portal would have opened for 30 days for the Virginia players. The Cavaliers’ roster likely would have scattered. That’s the way of the world now. It happens almost everywhere that a coaching change occurs.

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Same thing if he’d retired during the summer, or anytime before classes began at Virginia Aug. 27. Even for another month after that, players likely could have transferred and found an immediate spot at a school that is on a quarter system and didn’t begin classes until late September.

Doing it now, smack in the middle of the semester, leaves those players with nowhere to go. That includes five incoming transfers, from Florida State, San Diego State, Kansas State, Duke and Vanderbilt. It also includes two freshmen. They’re pawns in Bennett’s program preservation chess game.

And now Sanchez is in charge of moving those pawns around the board. If Bennett had stepped down in the spring, maybe Sanchez gets the job but maybe not—Virginia athletic director Carla Williams would have been able to make that call and conduct a search, if she so desired. Doing it mere weeks before the season opener forces Virginia to go along with Bennett’s personal succession plan for 2024–25 at least.

Virginia players are presented with the NCAA championship trophy in 2019

Bennett’s greatest achievement with the Cavaliers was winning the NCAA tournament in 2019. / Greg Nelson /Sports Illustrated

This is an ego-and-control play, though he’s hardly the first to do it. It’s a tried-and-true move for basketball coaches who have been successful enough to call their own shot. 

Oct. 9, 1997: Dean Smith retired at North Carolina, gifting the job to assistant coach Bill Guthridge. While winning a lot and taking the Tar Heels to two Final Fours, Guthridge only lasted three seasons before stepping down himself.

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Nov. 30, 2000: None other than Dick Bennett, Tony’s dad, stepped down three games into the season at Wisconsin, and seven months after taking the Badgers to the Final Four. He was 57 years old, just two years older than Tony is now. Bennett handed the job to Brad Soderberg, who finished the season but didn’t keep the job. (Soderberg has worked for Tony Bennett at Virginia since 2021.)

Dick Bennett came out of retirement in 2003 to be the coach at Washington State. After three seasons he turned the program over to … Tony Bennett.

Sept. 12, 2012: Jim Calhoun retired at Connecticut, amid some strife and controversy. But after winning three national championships, Calhoun had the clout to hand-pick successor Kevin Ollie. He won a surprise natty in 2014 but was fired by 2018.

Dec. 15, 2015: Bo Ryan, who followed Soderberg as the successor to Dick Bennett at Wisconsin, went to the Dick Bennett retirement playbook. After going to the Final Four the previous season, Ryan announced that the 2015-16 season would be his last and he’d be replaced by assistant Greg Gard. Then Ryan waffled on whether he would retire. Then he did, abruptly, 12 games into the season, and Gard took over.

With those retirements, the players left behind were stuck in place for that season—and then faced a year sitting out if they chose to move to a new school. At least now, Virginia players can participate in 2025–26 at their new school. But they have effectively been held hostage for 2024–25.

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(December graduate transfers, if there are any candidates for that on this Virginia team, could play as soon as the spring semester somewhere else. That might be difficult, due to scholarship availability and playing time and rotations being set. But it’s allowable under NCAA rules.)

Bennett is held in universally high regard in his profession and around college athletics. His It’s The System’s Fault retirement at a young age will generate a new spasm of despair over the state of things. Some concerns are justified, but many are exaggerated—and not much is going to change on account of Tony Bennett.

This last act of a coach who craves control is only a win for him and his hand-picked successor. It doesn’t beat back the advancing tide of the new era.



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Virginia Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Night results for Feb. 28, 2026

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Virginia Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Night results for Feb. 28, 2026


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The Virginia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

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Here’s a look at Feb. 28, 2026, results for each game:

Powerball

Powerball drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 11 p.m.

06-20-35-54-65, Powerball: 10, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Monday, March 02, 2026

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Pick 3

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 1-7-2, FB: 7

Day: 6-6-5, FB: 7

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

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Night: 3-0-2-2, FB: 8

Day: 8-2-7-9, FB: 3

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 1-3-5-7-5, FB: 9

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Day: 4-4-7-7-0, FB: 7

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash Pop

Drawing times: Coffee Break 9 a.m.; Lunch Break 12 p.m.; Rush Hour 5 p.m.; Prime Time 9 p.m.; After Hours 11:59 p.m.

Coffee Break: 13

After Hours: 04

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Prime Time: 10

Rush Hour: 02

Lunch Break: 07

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash 5

Drawing every day at 11 p.m.

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04-14-16-30-39

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Bank a Million

Bank a Million draws are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 11 p.m.

02-03-04-05-08-35, Bonus: 14

Check Bank a Million payouts and previous drawings here.

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Millionaire for Life

Drawing everyday at 11:15 p.m.

13-20-28-44-48, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Center for Community Journalism (CCJ) editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Virginia U.S. Sen. Kaine: Strikes on Iran ‘a colossal mistake’ – WTOP News

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Virginia U.S. Sen. Kaine: Strikes on Iran ‘a colossal mistake’ – WTOP News


As Republicans praise President Donald Trump for taking military action against Iran, Democrats are demanding Congress provide authorization for the attack and a more detailed explanation of its ultimate goals.

WTOP’s Mitchell Miller joined anchor Del Walters earlier to talk about the political reaction to the U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran.

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As Republicans praise President Donald Trump for taking decisive military action against Iran, Democrats are demanding Congress provide authorization for the attack and a more detailed explanation of its ultimate goals.

Virginia U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, who serves as the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Iran has a long history of terrorism in the Middle East, but that “does not relieve any president of the responsibility to act within the law, with a clear strategy and with Congress.”

Like many other Democratic lawmakers, Warner said Congress can’t be sidelined.

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“The Constitution is clear: the decision to take this nation to war rests with Congress and launching large-scale military operations — particularly in the absence of an imminent threat to the United States — raises serious legal and constitutional concerns,” Warner said in a statement on Saturday.

Warner and other Democrats called for the administration to fully brief lawmakers and explain the specific aims of the U.S.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine has a war powers resolution that was prepared before the attack took place, and there’s a push to quickly bring it to the Senate floor for a vote.

In a statement released Saturday, Kaine noted that for months he has “raised hell about the fact that the American people want lower prices, not more war.”

“These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray that they do not cost our sons and daughters in uniform and at embassies throughout the region their lives,” he said.

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Kaine said the Senate should immediately return to session to vote on his war powers resolution.
He said all senators need to go on the record on what he referred to as, “this dangerous, unnecessary, and idiotic action.”

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican, has a war powers resolution pending in the House.
He called for Congress to convene Monday to consider it.

The Norfolk-based aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is in the region to support the military action against Iran. The carrier and its sailors have already been at sea for more than eight months.

Kaine said it could end up being the longest deployment for a U.S. aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War. The carrier previously supported U.S. military operations off the Venezuelan coast.

House speaker says lawmakers were briefed

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Saturday that Iran is “facing the severe consequences of its evil actions,” noting that the president and the administration had made extensive efforts to pursue a diplomatic solution to “the Iranian regime’s sustained nuclear ambitions.”

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“The Gang of 8 was briefed in detail earlier this week that military action may become necessary to protect American troops and American citizens in Iran,” Johnson said.

The briefing of the top congressional leaders, which included Warner, took place before the president’s State of the Union address earlier this week.

Johnson said he also received updates from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) praised Rubio for providing updates on the situation, and said he looks forward to administration officials briefing all senators about the military operations.

“I commend President Donald Trump for taking action to thwart these threats,” he said.

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One of the first officials to publicly praise the president for attacking Iran was U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Republican ally of Trump.

“As I watch and monitor this historic operation, I’m in awe of President Donald Trump’s determination to be a man of peace but at the end of the day, evil’s worst nightmare,” he said in an X post. “Well done, Mr. President.”

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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How to Watch Virginia vs. Duke Basketball Game Online Without Cable

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How to Watch Virginia vs. Duke Basketball Game Online Without Cable


If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

This weekend’s college basketball slate kicks off with a blockbuster showdown between the No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers and the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils. They’ll be playing in Durham, where Duke has been undefeated for over a year. Virginia (25-3), however, has been on point all season and stands a chance at snapping the Blue Devils’ home court winning streak.

At a Glance: How to Watch Virginia vs. Duke Basketball Game

  • Stream: Sling
  • TV channel: ESPN
  • Date, time: Saturday, Feb. 28 at noon ET

The Cavaliers are coming off a big 90-61 win over NC State, and are looking to extend a nine-game winning streak. The Blue Devils are hot off a massive 100-56 victory against Notre Dame. Duke is seeking another shot at the title this year after falling to No. 1 Houston in last year’s Final Four.

If you don’t have a way to watch Saturday’s Virginia vs. Duke game, read on. Ahead is a quick guide on how to livestream Virginia vs. Duke with Sling, plus key details about the matchup.

How to Watch Virginia vs. Duke Basketball Game Online

Saturday’s Virginia vs. Duke matchup will air on ESPN. If you don’t have cable, you can watch the game online using any live TV streaming service that carries the channel. One of our favorites is Sling, which offers flexible packages and a great channel lineup.

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ESPN is included in Sling’s Orange and Orange + Blue packages. The Orange plan carries 30+ channels, including CNN, TNT, HGTV, and ID, as well as ESPN. This plan is available as a monthly subscription, starting at $45.99 a month, but Sling also offers short-term passes that are ideal for catching individual games or tournaments. A one-day pass costs $4.99, a three-day pass costs $9.99, and a seven-day pass costs $14.99.

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If you want more channels, upgrade to the Orange + Blue package. This plan starts at $60.99 a month and carries 50+ channels, including local networks (in select markets), Fox News, NFL Network, and everything in the Orange package.

Virginia vs. Duke Game Date, Start Time

The next Virginia vs. Duke basketball game takes place on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tip-off is at noon ET.



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