Virginia's Tony Bennett, who reached the pinnacle of his sport at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis last April, is in a rare spot for a college basketball coach coming off a season that ended with him cutting down the nets.
The Cavaliers (16-7) are in danger of being the first defending NCAA men's basketball champion to miss the tournament since Connecticut in 2015. Virginia is squarely on the bubble, according to most NCAA tournament bracketologists.
In one of the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory — with more surprises sure to occur by Selection Sunday — the Cavaliers join two other programs from the 2019 Final Four that are distant long shots to get back there for this year's gathering in Atlanta.
Last year's national runner-up Texas Tech (16-8) and Michigan State (17-8) are in good position to reach the NCAA tournament, but they are far from being deemed national title contenders.
Auburn (22-2) is the lone team from last year's Final Four that has built that same aura this season. And even that seems fleeting.
Even before his team's fourth overtime victory in the past five games, Tigers coach Bruce Pearl admitted earlier this week to reporters: "If we don't get better, we're going to start losing."
Pearl lost three starters from last year, but he still assembled a squad that opened the season 15-0, lost twice, then reeled off seven more consecutive wins. The second streak included victories over fellow SEC co-leaders Kentucky (75-66) and LSU (91-90 OT).
Michigan State recently became the first preseason No. 1 team to drop from the Top 25 since Kentucky in 2013-14, but those Wildcats ended up making the national title game that year.