Top Five Wins Of Tony Bennett Era At Virginia

Over the weekend, a popular message board topic trickled across TheSabre.com’s Virginia men’s basketball forum. The question is simple: What are the top five wins of the coach Tony Bennett era to date? There are more than 200 to choose from over nine seasons, another friendly reminder of the thankfulness pillar in action.

Considering that many comments in the thread placed two games from this past season on the list, however, it is also a timely topic for the long offseason wait. The two in question from this season’s program record 31 wins are likely obvious to UVA fans: the W at Duke and the ACC Tournament title clincher against North Carolina in Brooklyn. Most of the posters in the the thread had both games in the top five. Perhaps that’s recency bias or blue blood colored glasses, but those were two big victories without debate.

Other games that received routine mentions in the top five included the 2013 home win against Duke, the 2014 regular season ACC title clincher against Syracuse, the 2014 ACC Tournament title game against Duke, the 2014 NCAA Tournament win against Memphis to send the Hoos to their first Sweet 16 under Bennett, and the 2016 NCAA Tournament victory against Iowa State to reach the Elite 8 for the first time under Bennett. The crazy comebacks and buzzer beaters that picked up some support were the Malcolm Brogdon pop play at Pittsburgh in 2014, the 2016 rally that Darius Thompson finished with a banked-in winner at Wake Forest, and, of course, the .9 seconds thriller at Louisville this past season.

How would you stack up a top five Bennett victories on your list? Mine looks like this:

1. 2014 Duke ACC Tournament win. The 72-63 victory in Greensboro to claim the program’s second ever ACC Tournament title 38 years after the first in 1976 holds the top spot. Remember, many long-time Hoo fans weren’t sure winning the ACC tourney would ever happen again, much less in Duke’s backyard. Anthony Gill roughed up the Blue Devils with an afternoon at the free throw line where he made 10 of 17 attempts, Malcolm Brogdon proved rock solid as always with 23 points, and Joe Harris provided the exclamation point with a 3-point dagger late in the game. If you were in the building, it’s an atmosphere you won’t soon forget.

2. 2014 Syracuse home win to clinch the ACC Regular Season Championship. I’m sure this one will get some debate at this spot, but I put it here for two reasons. One, it was Bennett’s first title at Virginia. Two, it is a symbolic moment for the program in his tenure. That 2014 season began the rise to one of the nation’s elite programs with a rough start that included losses to Wisconsin, Green Bay, and Tennessee. But a victory at FSU hit the reset button and the Hoos really haven’t looked back for any long stretches since. By the end of the season, Virginia had matched the Ralph Sampson era for wins in a season (30), an outright ACC title (first since 1981), and eventually the aforementioned tourney title.

On March 1, the Cavaliers whipped Syracuse 75-56 at the John Paul Jones Arena while fans held what amounted to an all-day victory party. There was a feeling in the air hours before tipoff and the celebration only intensified when UVA started to pull away from then No. 4 Syracuse, who had spent much of the season ranked No. 1 in the nation. Brogdon ripped up the Cuse zone with 19 points and Justin Anderson made some highlight plays among his 11 points. Then Thomas Rogers hit a falling down 3-pointer and the place shook with Virginia’s starters leading the eruption from the bench.

That win solidified that Bennett had built a program “to last” as he had said in his introductory press conference years earlier. Everything that has followed started with that season’s climb and that day’s coronation.

3. 2018 UNC ACC Tournament win. This season, Virginia set a program record with 31 wins. The last of those came on a Saturday night in Brooklyn against North Carolina. While UVA had defeated UNC in the regular season before, Bennett had never topped the Tar Heels in the postseason. That included a title game loss in Washington D.C. two years prior. Not only did this 71-63 victory set a program record for wins, it marked the second ACC Tournament title in a five-year window. This one was a much shorter wait.

Several Hoos came up big during the game. Senior Devon Hall put up 15 points and four assists, while New York’s own Ty Jerome added 12 points and six assists. Tournament MVP Kyle Guy finished with 16 points and De’Andre Hunter put the game away at the free throw line with 10 points. It turned out that Hunter had a small break in his wrist from the previous night’s Clemson game to boot.

4. 2016 Iowa State win in Chicago in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. This victory marks the biggest NCAA Tournament win for Bennett’s tenure to date as it sent the Hoos to their first Elite 8. Iowa State entered the tourney ranked No. 22 in the nation with a high-powered offense, but the Cyclones simply couldn’t stop the Hoos. Virginia romped to a 84-71 win that quieted the ISU faithful in the Midwest. The Cavaliers dunked, dunked, and dunked some more, including several late-game press break finishers. Gill and Mike Tobey hammered home 23 and 18 points, respectively.

 

5. 2018 regular season win at Duke. I know a lot of people put this one higher on their list, but other than being a streak-buster at Cameron Indoor Stadium, it didn’t provide the same landmark type of moments as above. Still, this snapped a 17-game losing streak at Duke, giving the program its first win in the building since 1995. It also helped pave the way to the eventual No. 1 ranking in the national polls later in the season. UVA was ranked No. 2 at the time with Duke at No. 4.

Hunter had a big game with 12 points, including a couple of big baskets when Virginia’s offense stalled early in the second half. Guy and Hall were in double figures with 17 and 14 points, respectively. Jerome, however, stole the spotlight with 13 points, seven assists, and one turnover in his first career game at Cameron. Oh, and he hit a ridiculous ball-fake 3-pointer that essentially sealed the victory too.

So what does your top five order look like? Do you have another game in there? What would make the top 10? I’d have the Memphis win for the program’s first Sweet 16 spot under Bennett, the two rallies that Thompson and Hunter finished with crazy shots, and the Joe Harris-led victory against Duke from 2013 in there.

I combed through the fact book to highlight some of the best wins from each season of the Bennett era to jog fan memories. Share your thoughts in the thread that sparked this article or in your own thread on the basketball message board.

2009-2010

• Dec. 30 – The Cavaliers knock off then No. 24 UAB, 72-63. The first win against a ranked opponent for Bennett’s UVA program.
• Jan. 13 – UVA tops Georgia Tech, 82-75. The Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 20 at the time, giving the Hoos their first win against a ranked ACC foe under Bennett. Virginia uncorked a late 16-4 run to get the W (this may have been the first Cavalanche of the Bennett era, though it hadn’t been coined that yet).
• Jan. 18 – Virginia defeats UNC Wilmington 69-67 on a Sylven Landesberg shot in the final five seconds. The first buzzer beater of the Bennett era.
• Jan. 31 – Virginia wins 75-60 at North Carolina. Neither team is highly ranked like recent meetings, but a double-digit win in Chapel Hill in Bennett’s first season sent a hint of things to come. Landesberg went for 29 points, while Sammy Zeglinski added 19.
• March 11 – 68-62 win against Boston College marks the first postseason win of the Bennett era. Zeglinski led five players in double figures.

2010-2011

• Nov. 29 – Virginia wins at then No. 15 Minnesota, 87-79, in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Joe Harris goes for 24 points with 23 from Mustapha Farrakhan. The team had lost two of three in Hawaii a week earlier, but this sparked a five-game winning streak.
• March 5 – The Cavaliers claim a 74-60 victory at Maryland, clinching the first winning season of Bennett’s rebuild.

2011-2012

• Nov. 29 – UVA keeps up the good work in the Challenge with a 70-58 win against then No. 14 Michigan. Mike Scott and Harris finish with 18 points each, while then freshman Brogdon shows what’s to come with 16.
• Dec. 18 – The Cavaliers win 67-54 at Oregon. This victory helped push UVA into the national rankings for the first time under Bennett in the following poll. Jontel Evans contributed 12 points and five assists as part of the win.
• March 4 – At this point in this season, injuries and mid-year transfers left the team with a limited group of players but they pulled together for a 75-72 overtime win on Maryland’s Senior Night. Scott posted a career-high 35 points.

2012-2013

• Nov. 28 – Virginia wins again in the Challenge, but this 60-54 W at Wisconsin seemed unlikely. The Badgers owned an 85-6 record at the Kohl Center against non-conference teams in Bo Ryan’s tenure before UVA came in the building and won.
• Jan. 29 – The Hoos take down then No. 19 NC State, 58-55. Akil Mitchell’s 14 points and 12 rebounds set the tone.
• Feb. 28 – UVA notched a 73-68 win against then No. 3 Duke, the highest ranked win in the Bennett era. This is the night Harris went bananas with 36 points and Mitchell threw up a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double.
• March 24 – Virginia defeated St. Johns in the NIT second round, 68-50. This was the second win of that event, but part of the first non-conference tournament postseason run for Bennett and foreshadowed what was to come the next season. Anderson poured in 18 points.

2013-2014

• Jan. 4 – A few days after Tennessee boat-raced UVA by an 87-52 score, the Hoos go on the road to win 62-50 at Florida State. Harris left this game early with a concussion, but the team responded and the legend of Harris’ red truck drive to Coach Bennett’s house is born.
• Feb. 2 – The Cavaliers pull out a 48-45 win at Pittsburgh when Brogdon did something he’d never done before: hit a game-winning shot. This is the first sign that some magic is bubbling for this group.
• March 1 – The aforementioned 75-56 win against Syracuse.
• March 16 – UVA takes down Duke, 72-63 for the much-discussed ACC Tournament title.
• March 21 – After a shaky first half, Virginia defeated Coastal Carolina, 70-59. This is the first NCAA Tournament win for Bennett at UVA.
• March 23 – The Cavaliers go their first Sweet 16 under Bennett with a 78-60 blowout against shell-shocked Memphis. The Tigers were receiving votes in the national polls before the tournament. The postseason party continued with a rocking crowd in Raleigh and the Hoos clinched a 30-win season for the first time since 1981-82.

2014-2015

• Dec. 21 – UVA rolled 76-27 against Harvard. This was a defensive gem as the Hoos allowed only eight points in the first half. That Harvard team eventually made the NCAA Tournament.
• Jan. 3 – A double overtime barnburner in Miami ends with an 89-80 win for the Cavaliers. London Perrantes scored 26 points.
• Jan. 10 – Virginia topped then No. 13 Notre Dame in South Bend, 62-56. UVA reached 15-0 with the W as Darion Atkins put up 14 points.
• Feb. 7 – UVA wins 52-47 against No. 9 Louisville

2015-2016

• Dec. 8 – Virginia prevails at Madison Square Garden against then No. 14 West Virginia, 70-54. UVA shot 73.7% in the second half.
• Dec. 19 – The Cavaliers take down then No. 12 Villanova. 86-75, at JPJ. This competitive game got some possible top five mentions because Nova went on to win the national title. Gill scored 22 points, while Brogdon added 20. Perrantes had 19.
• Dec. 22 – Virginia survived in overtime against California, 63-62. UVA hit two 3-pointers in the final minute of OT to win. Brogdon went first with 53 seconds to go to trim a five-point deficit and then Perrantes knocked down the other with 10 seconds to go for the win.
• Jan. 26 – Darius Thompson capped a comeback with banked in 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Wake Forest, 72-71. UVA already had three ACC road losses at that point in the schedule and this miracle sparked a big late season run.
• March 5 – Virginia put together a dominant 68-46 win against then No. 11 Louisville. On Senior Night for Gill, Brogdon, Tobey, and Evan Nolte, Tobey broke through with 15 points and 20 rebounds. UVA held Donovan Mitchell, who just had a big year with the Utah Jazz, to 11 points.
• March 25 – The Chicago win against Iowa State, 84-71, sent the Hoos to the Elite 8.

2016-2017

• Dec. 21 – UVA takes a 56-52 win at Cal. Kyle Guy delivers 17 points.
• Jan. 14 – The Hoos hold on for a 77-73 victory at Clemson. Perrantes finished with 25 points, while Marial Shayok added 17.
• Jan. 24 – Virginia wins 71-54 at then No. 14 Notre Dame. With another 22 points from Perrantes, the Hoos grabbed a good win.
• Feb. 6 – The Cavaliers secured a 71-55 win at then No. 4 Louisville. Isaiah Wilkins led the way with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
• Feb. 27 – Virginia stopped then No. 5 UNC, 53-43. UVA had lost in Chapel Hill by 24 points just nine days earlier. Perrantes had 13 in his final home game against the Heels. North Carolina went on to win the national title.

2017-2018

• Jan 27 – The big 65-63 win at Duke with Jerome’s big shot.
• Feb. 13 – Virginia came home with a 59-50 win in Miami, which set up the rise to No. 1 in the national rankings in the next poll.
• March 1 – UVA somehow won 67-66 at Louisville after trailing by four points with less than six seconds to go. Jerome was fouled on a 3-pointer and made two free throws. After a lane violation on the third free throw, which Jerome intentionally missed, the Cardinals turned the ball over attempting what should have been the final inbounds pass. Instead, UVA inbounded with .9 seconds to go and Hunter banked in the winning 3-pointer. Crazy finish.
• March 10 – Virginia took down UNC, 71-63, for the ACC Tournament crown.