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Virginia head coach Tony Bennett is losing. He needs your help, Wahoo fans!
What happens on the court is out of your control, and if we stay true to the In Tony We Trust signs that we’ve seen at John Paul Jones arena for almost a decade (!) now, we have no doubt that the Hoos will soon turn their fortune around. But Bennett is competing in the Infiniti Coaches’ Charity Challenge, the annual ESPN fan poll that pits Tony Bennett against a bunch of other random college coaches in a bracket-style tournament.
Here’s how it works. We started with 48 coaches, and just by participating, each coach earned $1,000 for their chosen charities. Fans vote, and the top coaches advance to the second round, earning $7,500 for their charities. We’re now in the third round, which means that Bennett has earned $10,000 for his charity, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. If he advances to the fourth round — and only four coaches will do so — then BRAFB will receive $15,000.
The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is the largest organization in central Virginia dedicated to feeding the hungry and advocating to end hunger locally and nationally.
As of the time of this posting, Bennett sits in sixth place, and we only have until February 26 to get him into the Final Four. He’s behind Wichita State (Barely) and Bob Huggins of West Virginia, by a lot.
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It’s a tall order to get him up to the top four, but if anyone can, it’s the Virginia fan base. Besides, the Hoos have already lost to West Virginia once this season, let’s not make it a second time.
You can vote daily, which is great. Share the link early and often.