With big upset, Vermont coach enjoying final season

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Tom Brennan and his country boys from tiny Vermont were supposed to go out quietly, but that's just not his style.

Vermont's Tom Brennan will coach at least one more game. (Getty Images)

As usual, Brennan wasn't at a loss to sum up his 13th-seeded Catamounts' upset of No. 4 Syracuse, a 60-57 overtime victory on Friday night.

"This is a wonderful win for our program and definitely the biggest win in the history of our school," Brennan said. "I'm not surprised we won, but when we got to overtime, I thought it was time to pack the trunk."

It was the program's first NCAA Tournament victory and third appearance overall. Two years ago, Vermont was blown out by Arizona. Last season the Catamounts lost to UConn 70-53.

However, this time Vermont showed it could more than just hang around with a national power.

Brennan won a grand total of 14 games in his first three seasons at Vermont. He was 12-17 in 2001. Then Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine came along and everything changed.

The Catamounts won three consecutive America East titles and Brennan and his two cohorts became cult heroes in Burlington. That's nothing compared to Brennan's legacy in the small town after the win against Jim Boeheim's mighty Orange.

Coppenrath only finished with 16 points in the shocker against Syracuse, but Vermont showed it was more than just a one-man show.

Sorrentine struggled early, but he found his shot in the second half and ended up knocking down the biggest shot of his life -- a 26-footer with 1:06 left in overtime that gave the Catamounts a 59-55 lead.

Prior to the shot, Sorrentine looked over at Brennan as he was holding the ball. Brennan's call was to run "red", but Sorrentine just looked over and told his 55-year-old head coach to relax. Then, after ignoring Brennan, he pulled up and let it fly.

"I knew it was going down when I let it go," Sorrentine said.

"It's not the first time he didn't pay attention to me," Brennan joked. "But these guys got us here. Not me. They are the ones who deserve all the credit."