No. 6 Virginia hangs on for 67-62 win, season sweep at Syracuse

By Scott Ratcliffe

Photo: UVA Athletics

Make it seven wins in a row for the Virginia men’s basketball team, as the sixth-ranked Cavaliers completed the season sweep of Syracuse on Monday night, gutting out a hard-fought, 67-62 victory.

Up by two in the final minute of regulation, UVA senior forward Jayden Gardner’s midrange jumper from the foul line with 33.7 seconds to play gave his team a two-possession edge, 66-62, and the Orange couldn’t get their final two desperation 3-point attempts to fall.

“The shot clock was running down, so I’m just flashing the high post to get a catch,” Gardner recalled of the crucial bucket. “I get a catch and I see the defense is basically attached to a man, so I got the guy who just checked in for [Jesse Edwards], so I just gave him a little jab and stepback, got into his chest and I got a big shot for the team.”

The Cavaliers (17-3, 9-2 ACC) built a 7-point lead early in the second half that was quickly erased, as the Orange (13-10, 6-6) responded with 12 unanswered points and grabbed a 51-46 advantage on a Jesse Edwards 3-point play with 12:04 to play.

Virginia hung around, despite making just two field goals in a span of over seven minutes, and got to within three, 54-51, by the under-8 timeout with 7:53 to play. Senior guard Armaan Franklin sank back-to-back triples out of the break, one to tie it up and one to put the Wahoos back in front, 57-54, with 5:49 remaining.

Tied at 57-all with 4:01 on the clock, Virginia guard Reece Beekman drew a foul on Edwards, his fourth, and knocked down a pair of free throws to put the Hoos ahead to stay. Edwards split two freebies on the other end to trim it to a point with 3:40 left, but that’s as close as it would get.

Kihei Clark drilled a huge second-chance 3-pointer after Ben Vander Plas made a spectacular save to avoid a turnover, the ball wound up in Clark’s hands as he was wide open at the top of the key, and he calmly put the Cavaliers ahead by four.

“The play of the game probably is when Ben was out of bounds, hustled, saved it, established two feet in, and then Kihei got the 3 at the top, that was huge,” said UVA coach Tony Bennett. “Obviously, Jayden’s shot was huge, there’s a lot of them, but that play, we needed that one.”

After a Syracuse turnover, Clark connected on both ends of a one-and-one opportunity to make it 64-58 with 2:35 to go, as the Orange turned up the full-court pressure.

Syracuse freshman point guard Judah Mintz scored to cut it back to four, then down to two, 64-62, with a pair from the charity stripe with 1:47 left, after Vander Plas tripped him up trying to chase down a loose-ball rebound on the other end.

Gardner misfired on a turnaround baseline jumper on the next trip down, but then Edwards picked up an offensive foul, his fifth, and had to sit and watch the final minute from the bench. From there, Mintz misfired on a tough attempt from downtown, Gardner secured the rebound and kicked it to Franklin, who split two free throws with 13.6 to go for the final result.

UVA has now defeated Syracuse five-straight times, including five in a row at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Cavaliers shot 46 percent on the night (23 for 50), 43 percent from long range (9 for 21) and 80 percent (12 for 15) from the line, outrebounding the Orange, 29-25.

Both teams committed 14 turnovers — seven in each half — but Virginia was able to turn those Orange miscues into 20 points (Syracuse had 11 off of turnovers). The Orange dominated the points in the paint in the first half, 26-8, but Virginia won that category after halftime, 12-10.

Gardner finished with a team-high 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting to go with a game-high 8 rebounds and a pair of steals. Clark, who became the ACC’s all-time minutes-played leader during the contest, notched his third career double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 assists.

Franklin added 12 points (3 for 9 from 3-point range), as he’s now scored in double figures in each of his last 10 games. Vander Plas had 7 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, while Isaac McKneely added a pair of 3-pointers (6 points), and Kadin Shedrick was 2 for 2 for 4 points, and played solid defense on Edwards during his 11 minutes off the bench.

Syracuse shot 50 percent (24 for 48) from the field, 20 percent from downtown (3 of 15) and 61 percent (11 for 18) from the free-throw line. Mintz led all scorers with 20 points, while Edwards finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals.

“He’s really a much-improved player from his time here,” Bennett said of Edwards. “We couldn’t handle him one-on-one, and so when we got aggressive with our post trap, it was our best chance. It does leave some openings on the back side, but if you’re quick to cover, it was better than the alternative. I think they got one 3 out of it in the second half, but the amount of turnovers and things that happened from it, and that made us fly around, it was well worth it.”

Syracuse’s leading scorer on the season, senior guard Joseph Girard III, was held to 7 points on 3-of-12 shooting, including 1 of 4 from 3-point land.

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• Virginia (17-3, 9-2 ACC) has a seven-game win streak
• UVA is 7-2 away from John Paul Jones Arena
• UVA has a five-game win streak vs. Syracuse and five-game win streak at JMA Wireless Dome
• Syracuse went on a 12-0 run to gain a 51-46 lead
• UVA started the second half on a 6-0 run to gain a 42-35 lead
• UVA started the game on a 10-2 run
• Syracuse gained its first lead at 24-23
• UVA shot 61.9 percent in the first half (13 of 21 and 6 of 10 3’s) and led 36-35
• UVA forced one shot clock violation

Series Notes

• UVA is 13-6 all-time against Syracuse, including an 11-2 mark in ACC action, in the series that dates to 1983-84
• UVA is 6-2 vs. Syracuse at JMA Wireless Dome
• UVA has held the Orange to 69 or fewer points in each of the last 15 meetings between the teams
• Head coach Tony Bennett is 12-3 all-time against Syracuse

Player Notes

• Double Figure Scorers: Jayden Gardner (17), Kihei Clark (12), Armaan Franklin (12)
• Clark added a season-high 10 assists for his third career double-double
• Clark (4,904 minutes) passed Duke’s Kyle Singler (4,887 from 2008-11) for first on the ACC’s career minutes played list
• Clark reached double figures for the 63rd time
• Gardner reached double figures for the 114th time
• Franklin has a 10-game double figure streak and 49 career games with 10-plus points
• McKneely has a nine-game 3-pointer streak
• McKneely has made two or more 3-pointers in 10 games
• Vander Plas had a season-high six assists
• UVA started Clark, Beekman, Franklin, Gardner and Vander Plas for the fifth straight game

UP NEXT
The Cavaliers will aim for a second-straight season sweep this week when they travel to Blacksburg for Saturday’s noon tipoff against Virginia Tech (ESPN2).

Cavaliers rally, hang on to defeat Georgia Tech, 69-63

By Scott Ratcliffe

Alexia Smith (23) scores two of her 10 points in the win against Georgia Tech. (Photo by Michael Bruder)

The Virginia women’s basketball team used a big third-quarter run to build a lead that it held onto in the final minute against Georgia Tech Thursday, as the Cavaliers outlasted the Yellow Jackets, 69-63.

UVA leading scorer Mir McLean picked up a pair of early fouls and was held scoreless in the first half, as she missed her only shot attempt in five minutes of action. The junior forward exploded in the third quarter, as she almost single handedly got the Wahoos back in the ballgame.

McLean scored 11 of her team-high 13 points in the period, as Virginia (13-1, 2-1 ACC) outscored Tech 27-16 and turned a 31-28 halftime deficit into a 55-47 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

The Jackets (9-4, 0-2) opened the second half with a pair of baskets and took their largest lead of the night, 35-28, before McLean caught fire. The Baltimore native finally saw her first bucket fall, followed it up the next trip down with another one on a spin move, then scored on an and-1 putback to get the Hoos back within three, 38-35.

“Mir’s coming off a strained hamstring, she strained it a couple days ago in practice, so she didn’t get a lot of reps either,” explained UVA coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton. “So just to see her dig deep and push through that was really, really good. And then third quarter, we realized that, I just felt like they didn’t have an answer for her in the paint, so we started playing her more at the four than the three and isolated her on the block.

“She was able to use her athleticism and create contact, get fouled, so that helped our team. And then her rebounding ability obviously helped Georgia Tech be one-and-done and then offensively give us extra possessions. So I thought she did a great job sparking us in that third quarter, and then the rest of the team followed suit.”

Minnesota transfer Alexia Smith added a jumper to trim it to a point, then after another McLean basket, Smith put UVA on top, 41-40, out of the third-quarter media timeout.

After the Jackets split a pair from the line and tied it up, the Cavaliers closed the quarter on a 14-6 spurt and led by eight with 10 minutes to play. Senior guard Carole Miller scored 5 of her 8 points during the run, as the Hoos connected on 9-straight field goals during one stretch.

McLean was whistled for her fourth foul just 49 seconds into the fourth quarter and headed back to the bench, and the Jackets cut the lead down to 61-56 with 6:23 to go after back-to-back baskets by senior guard Cameron Swartz.

McLean was inserted back into the lineup and scored off the glass to keep the lead at five, 63-58, with 5:30 remaining. Sam Brunelle followed with a beautiful spin move off of a Taylor Valladay steal, and the Hoos led 65-60 as the clock went under four minutes.

McLean missed a pair of easy looks before fouling out with 1:53 to go with Virginia still clinging to a slim advantage. Valladay split two free throws with 42 ticks showing, pushing the lead to 66-61, but Tech made things interesting, making it a one-possession contest, 66-63, on a Tonie Morgan putback with 23.6 to play.

Brunelle was quickly fouled after a GT timeout, and the Notre Dame grad transfer calmly sank two from the charity stripe, where she’s a near-perfect 25 for 26 on the season. The Jackets took their time getting a shot off until Bianca Jackson drew nothing but air on a 3-point attempt that sailed out of bounds, and the orange-clad fans in attendance at John Paul Jones Arena began to celebrate.

“This week, we’ve been talking about just being more physical, staying together, persevering through adversity, and I thought we really did that today,” said Coach Mox. “I mean, we know every game in this conference is going to be a dogfight. Georgia Tech, their defense is tough, it’s one of the best in the country. So for us to put up 69 points on that D and then also just weather the storm throughout the course of the game, I’m just super proud of them.”

Virginia shot 47 percent (26 for 55), 43 percent from deep (3 of 7) and 58 percent from the charity stripe (14 of 24), outscoring Tech 36-22 in the paint and 14-5 in second-chance opportunities. UVA committed 16 turnovers and forced 20. The Jackets edged the Hoos on the boards, 34-32.

McLean added a game-high 9 rebounds in just 19 minutes of playing time, barely missing what would’ve been her sixth double-double of the season. Smith added 10 points and 4 rebounds, while Brunelle and Miller each finished with 8 points, and Valladay and Camryn Taylor each chipped in with 7. In addition, Valladay had 6 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. Taylor, meanwhile, also battled with foul trouble, as she was charged with four personals in 19 minutes.

For Tech, Swartz led all scorers with 16 points, while Jackson added 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals (she scored her 1,000th career point in the loss). Morgan had 12 points and 5 assists, and Nerea Hermosa finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds.

Closed out 2⃣0⃣2⃣2⃣ with a W!
Check out the 📹 highlights from tonight’s 69-63 victory against Georgia Tech #GoHoos🔶⚔️ #GNSL pic.twitter.com/fcllCvyB3O

— Virginia Women’s Basketball (@UVAWomensHoops) December 30, 2022

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• The game had three ties and five lead changes
  
• Georgia Tech held a 34-32 edge in rebounding
• Virginia went 11 of 14 in the third quarter (78.6 percent), including its 9-of-9 shooting streak
• This was Alexia Smith’s second start of the season
• This was Smith’s second-straight double-digit scoring effort
• Taylor Valladay scored seven points with six rebounds and five assists
• Both teams were coming off an eight-day break for the holidays. Both UVA and Georgia Tech last played on Wednesday, Dec. 21

UP NEXT
The Hoos travel to Blacksburg next Thursday (Jan. 5) for the first of two Commonwealth Clash matchups with No. 7 Virginia Tech. Tip off from Cassell Coliseum is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ACCNX. The Hokies (11-2, 1-2) lost for the second time in their last three games Thursday, falling at Clemson, 64-59.

Scattershooting: Can Wahoos continue dominance over Hokies?

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia’s Kihei Clark sees an opening against Tech’s Wabissa Bede in January (Photo by John Markon).

Scattershooting around the ACC, while wondering why Virginia fans don’t make a bigger deal out of their team dominating rival Virginia Tech in basketball …

Over the last 18 games between the two programs, UVA has won 14. Tech has won the other four games by a grand collective total of seven points, two of those in overtime. Talk about domination.

The Cavaliers are a 3-point favorite by the odds makers in Wednesday night’s game at Blacksburg. UVA has a three-game winning streak in the series, a two-game winning streak at Tech, and won the first meeting this year by a 65-39 count.

Still, first-year Hokies coach Mike Young said that while he’s respectful of the rivalry, he won’t make a bigger deal out of it.

“It’s a very important game for all of Virginia Tech,” Young said. “I don’t make any more about the Virginia game than any other game.”

UVA’s Tony Bennett realizes that everyone in his program knows what’s at stake.

“Every game is so important at this stage of the year, and you play [Tech] twice a season. You know it’s an in-state rival and an intense atmosphere,” Bennett said.

This is a huge week for Bennett’s Wahoos. Should they beat Tech as predicted, UVA hosts Duke on Saturday. With Duke losing in double overtime at Wake Forest on Tuesday night, if the Cavaliers can beat the Hokies and the Blue Devils, then Virginia would be tied for at least third place in the ACC standings at 13-5, and own the tiebreaker over Duke.

Virginia played one of its best games of the year when it faced Tech in the first meeting, a blowout win in which the Cavaliers took away the Hokies’ strengths.

“We played solid defense, [the Hokies] missed some threes,” Bennett said. “We wanted to make them shoot as many contested outside shots, and they missed some uncharacteristic shots.”

Tech, which came into that game as one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country, made only four. Part of that was UVA’s defense, part of it was just poor shooting.

“The mistake we made was in our movement [against UVA’s defense],” Young said. “There has to be constant movement from side to side. They are exceptional on that end of the floor, but for us to be successful on the offensive end, ball movement has to be better, we have to cut sharper and we have to make more shots. Some of those shots were under duress because they do a great job of contesting shots.”

Tech is 4-9 since that last meeting with Virginia, and the Hokies’ last two outings have been disastrous — a 102-95, triple-overtime loss to Miami and an 88-64 loss at Duke.

UVA has won seven of its last eight games, losing only a close decision at Louisville. The major difference in the Cavaliers becoming one of the hottest teams in the league has been the emergence of junior-college transfer Tomas Woldetensae, who is shooting 50 percent from the 3-point line over the past three games and has been on fire from beyond the arc in recent road games, making more than 50 percent of his shots.

“Woldetensae has really come into his own,” Young said. “He’s moving better, he seems to be comfortable within their offense and is really searching for shots. They do a nice job setting pin-downs for him around the baseline.”

Young pointed out that the Cavaliers are playing a bigger lineup with Braxton Key, Mamadi Diakite, Jay Huff and Woldetensae along with 5-9 point guard Kihei Clark. 

“They’ve come into their own the past three weeks,” the Tech coach said of UVA.

Bennett said that he settled on that starting lineup because it is the most experienced lineup he can put on the floor, that it’s fairly big and that it has, for the most part, gotten the team off to good starts.

Age is just a number

Much has been made of the fact that four ACC coaches are in their 70s, and another is 69.

Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim is 75, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski is 73, Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton is 71, Miami’s Jim Larrañaga is 70. Meanwhile, Carolina’s Roy Williams is 69.

Those coaches were asked during this week’s ACC coaches teleconference if their age ever was brought up by prospective recruits or their families, and if so, what was their answer if asked how much longer they planned to coach.

Most Syracuse observers believe Boeheim will hang it up when his son, Buddy, a sophomore on the team, graduates.

Krzyzewski said it almost never comes up in conversation.

“I’m never asked that really, well hardly ever,” Coach K said. “I think they see how I coach and that I’m not just sitting on my butt, and I’m still working on it. If they did ask, I would say I don’t know because that would be an honest answer.”

Larrañaga said his answer is that “I love coaching. I have a long-term contract and I plan to be at Miami a long time.”

The Hurricanes’ coach said his favorite time of the day is the two hours of practice he spends with his team, that he enjoys being around his players.

“If people say, ‘He looks like he’s tired and ready to retire,’ well if anyone saw our celebration after the three-overtime win against Virginia Tech, they’d know the answer,” Larrañaga said. “Did you see my dance moves? The players showered me with water and we played some music.”

UNC’s Roy Williams was a little more reflective.

“Some do [ask] and some don’t,” Williams said. “I tell them that I love what I’m doing, although this season is making me grow older. As long as I feel good, I’ll keep coaching.

“I used to be younger than the parents, then I became older than the parents, now I’m older than the grandparents. As long as I feel good and I’m not cheating the kids, I’ll keep going.”

Notre Dame’s Mike Brey said that observing those guys gives him inspiration for the future. Brey is a mere 61.

“What amazes me about that group, when I look around the room [at coaches meetings] and see the edge, and their competitiveness on the recruiting trail, the preparation they put in, and the energy they put into games, I respect the heck out of it,” Brey said. “They’re 10 years older than me and I look at myself and say, am I going to have that fire 10 years from now? To me, that’s encouraging.”

Tony Bennett the next Famer?

There’s no doubt in my mind that Virginia coach Tony Bennett will be a future member of both the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

He’s been considered one of, if not the best coach in the country, for the past number of years. He got the Final Four and national championship monkey off his back last season, and I’ve got a hunch those won’t be his last.

There have been several ACC Hall of Famers, including Krzyzewski, Boeheim, Williams, Rick Pitino, Dean Smith and Lefty Driesell.

Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner believes Bennett will get there some day as well.

“Tony Bennett is on his way to the College Basketball Hall of Fame if he stays at Virginia and doesn’t go to the NBA,” Pastner said. “He may not want it, but there will be a statue of him there in front of John Paul Jones Arena and his name will be on the court.”

Bennett chuckled when he heard Pastner’s comments, in Bennett’s typical aw-shucks style.

“I think they’ll build a statue of anybody when you give enough money,” Bennett laughed.

When UVA beat Pitt this past weekend, that put Bennett in strong company. He became one of only five coaches in the league to post nine consecutive ACC winning seasons, joining Krzyzewski, Smith, Williams and Vic Bubas.

Winning in the ACC was one of Bennett’s main goals when he left Washington State to move into what he considered the best basketball conference in the country.

He said that when he came to Charlottesville 11 years ago, he browsed through a media guide and couldn’t help but notice that while UVA had enjoyed some terrific seasons and boasted some great players, it had not fared that well inside its own league.

“There weren’t a lot of over-.500 ACC finishes, and that was intriguing to me,” Bennett said. “There were just a handful over a lot of years. That was one of the challenges for myself, my staff and this program. We’re thankful and blessed how this program has been. That’s nine years in a league which will certainly test you.”

Prior to Bennett’s arrival, Virginia’s longest winning streak of consecutive winning seasons in the ACC was a mere three, all during the Ralph Sampson years.

ACC Quote of the Week

Pitt coach Jeff Capel on Virginia’s Mamadi Diakite:

“He’s gotten better and better. One of the things [UVA] does a great job of is every big [man] they get, they redshirt so they can physically grow, understand their system and get better.

“In high school, Mamadi was long and athletic, could block shots. Now he can shoot the mid-range, shoot the three, put the ball on the floor a little bit, has a great face-up game. He’s a confident player because of the work he’s put in. He’s an outstanding college player and has a chance to play at the next level.”

ACC Stat of the Week

Florida State has now won 22 straight games at home, the longest active home streak in the ACC. The Seminoles are 15-0 at home this season, the only team in the league that can stake that claim.

Free throws …

# A lot of people believe that Notre Dame’s John Mooney should be the ACC Player of the Year. He’s the only player in the league averaging a double-double.

“He’s an amazingly gifted physical specimen,” Brey said of Mooney. “He’s almost machine-like. I’m trying to kick him out of the gym to get him some rest. He’s a man, handles his business like a man. His preparation is that of a man.”

# Has the ACC’s decision to go to a 20-game conference schedule helped or hurt? Some people believe it has hurt. Boeheim said two more wins for one team equates to two losses for someone else. The league is teetering on possibly having only four teams in the NCAA Tournament.

ACC Power Poll

Here’s our latest ACC Power Poll sponsored by Riverside Lunch, where you can find the best burgers in Charlottesville:

(W-L records as of 2/24)

The poll is collective votes by four veteran sportswriters, including Chris Graham and Scott German of the Augusta Free Press, Scott Ratcliffe and yours truly.

The Jerry Ratcliffe Show on ESPN-Charlottesville

We’re excited for the return of world-renowned author John Grisham to our show this Saturday morning (9-10 a.m.) on ESPN-Charlottesville, 102.9 FM and 1450 AM.

Make sure you catch Hootie and John and other special guests.

Virginia Basketball “Team of Destiny” Book Signing Sunday

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Wahoo fans are invited to a book signing on Sunday afternoon for “Team of Destiny, Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship.”

County Line Mercantile, located at 5548 Seminole Trail, on Rt. 29, is hosting the event. Owner Wendy Peery will have plenty of books available for purchase, but if you already have one, bring it along and we’ll sign it for you.

The book signing will be held from noon until 2 p.m., along with a live remote by 3WV Radio, but the festivities will continue until 5 p.m.

Bluegrass band, “Rough Cut,” will be performing from 3-5 p.m. “Order Up” food truck will be on hand, and we have free cupcakes provided by “Beez Baking.”

Come by and meet authors Chris Graham, Scott Ratcliffe, Scott German, and yours truly, who documented the entire season in this book, a true keepsake for all Wahoo fans. It also makes for a great gift!

County Line Mercantile is the last business in Albemarle County, right at the Greene County line, located in the southbound lane. If you get to the Sheetz station, you’ve gone too far and will have to turn around.

Missed our first Team of Destiny book-signing event? Don’t worry, there’s a new fiesta in the making as we speak!

Come see us at County Line Mercantile this Sunday (July 14) from 12 noon until 2 p.m., there will be food, music, cupcakes, giveaways and more! pic.twitter.com/TAfqtBRILx

— JerryRatcliffe.Com (@hootie_dotcom) July 8, 2019

See ya’ll there.

Final Four Notebook: Doo & Nantz Talk ‘Hoos

Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle and CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz. Photos: mlb.com, cbspressexpress.com

By Jerry Ratcliffe

MINNEAPOLIS — If you’re one of those Virginia fans who gets emotional when you watch your Cavaliers play, shut yourself away in your home and hope the neighbors don’t hear you cheering, screaming, cursing, then don’t feel alone.

Washington Nationals’ relief pitcher Sean Doolittle, a former UVA star, is among you.

Our pal Byron Kerr of MASNsports.com, kindly shared this note from Doolittle at his locker on Sunday morning, hours after the Wahoos advanced to the Final Four, winning an overtime nailbiter over Purdue.

“I was moving all around the apartment,” Doolittle said about watching UVA’s win. “I can’t really watch in public, because I get super into it. And I don’t need to embarrass myself in public like that.

“I was in the apartment in the TV room. I kept moving around. I was trying to find the right spot to help the guys on defense ‘cause [Purdue’s Carsen] Edwards was going off,” Doolittle said. Carsen, by the way, scored 42 of the Boilermakers’ 75 points.

“I was on the couch for a while, sitting on the floor. I was ‘D’ing’ up, slapping the floor, trying to help them play defense,” Doolittle continued. “It was an absolutely incredible game. Caught a couple of breaks there at the end. It’s so exciting.”

Doolittle said he sensed that his Cavaliers might not have been able to win that Purdue game had they not gone through the pain of last year’s staggering first-round upset by UMBC.

“Having gone through that, I don’t know, maybe that gave them a little bit of an edge [Saturday] night,” he said. “First team ever to lose to a 16-seed and then go to the Final Four the next year, right?”

Right.

“It’s been a fun year,” Doo ended. “Hopefully it’s not done yet.”

The Bennetts

As part of CBS’ Final Four coverage, expect a nice piece on Virginia coach Tony Bennett and his relationship with his dad, Dick Bennett, who was his coach in college and long-term mentor and best friend.

“The father-son story is rich,” said the event’s long time play-by-play man Jim Nantz. “I have to say, to me, this is truly one of the great stories that’s in front of us, one of the great stories we’ve seen at the Final Four in a long time.

“If Virginia wins the championship, to go from the despair of losing to a No. 16 seed to winning the championship, it will be regarded as one of the great turnarounds — not only in this championship, but in all of sports — in a long time,” Nantz concluded.

Dick Bennett took the Wisconsin team to the Final Four in 2000, and beat Purdue to make it to the Big Dance. Tony was a volunteer assistant for that team.

How ‘Bout That Assist?

During the CBS teleconference concerning the Final Four, Nantz was asked about Mamadi Diakite’s shot that forced overtime against Purdue and eventually helped Virginia get to Minneapolis.

While the shot was a great one, and will go down as one of the most memorable moments in Virginia basketball history, Nantz showed his basketball savvy by wisely pointing out that Diakite’s shot would have never happened had it not been for the brilliance of UVA freshman guard Kihei Clark.

“It’s the best assist I’ve seen in college basketball,” said Nantz, who has called the Final Four the past 29 years.

At that point, Grant Hill, part of the Final Four broadcast crew, and a former Duke guard, quipped, “I can think of an assist that comes close.”

Of course, Hill was talking about his three-quarters’ court inbound pass to Christian Laettner, who caught the ball, turned and fired the winning shot against Kentucky in 1992. Nantz, by the way, jokingly questioned if that should have gone down as an assist.

“In Durham, I was credited with an assist,” Hill laughed.

But back to Diakite and Clark …

“I think it was the greatest assist,” Nantz said. “What Kihei Clark did to chase down that tap into the backcourt, I’m telling you that 99 percent of everybody who plays the game would have panicked and launched the ball before they got to midcourt.

“It would have been a half-court heave and your chances are one-in-500. This kid whipped that ball to the frontcourt (to an awaiting Diakite). Clark has tremendous quickness to get to that ball. It was a tremendous moment and Mamadi made a great shot.”

Final Four nuggets …

# Former Virginia basketball coach Pete Gillen, now an analyst for CBS Sports and Westwood One radio, picked the Cavaliers to beat Auburn in Saturday’s semifinals but for them to lose to Michigan State for the title.

On the matchup with Auburn, Gillen cracked: “Auburn wants a track meet, and Virginia wants a Viennese waltz. I did the Auburn game at UAB during the season and UAB slowed the tempo and it drove Auburn crazy. Virginia will play so slow and deliberate, that ball will feel like an icicle when the Tigers finally get it back.”

# With North Carolina’s Coby White declaring for the NBA Draft on Wednesday, that means the Tar Heels are losing five of their top six players off this year’s roster. Fellow freshman Nassir Little declared earlier, plus Kenny Williams, Luke Maye and Cam Johnson are all graduating.

# Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams created quite a buzz this week by accepting the job at Texas A&M where he was once an assistant under Billy Gillispie. Williams reportedly will be paid at least $3.5 million. He guided the Hokies to a record of 100-69 in five seasons and 44-46 in ACC play. Tech AD Whit Babcock said he has not hired a search firm and does not have a short list prepared for replacing Williams.

Jerome’s Confidence Soaring As ‘Hoos Begin March to Madness

Ty Jerome, U.Va.’s leading scorer against Louisville, participates in post-game net-cutting.

When Mark Jerome put a basketball in his tike’s hands for the first time, he began preaching a never-ending sermon about the most important part of the game.

“Never let anyone take away your confidence,” Ty Jerome recited the message that is forever emblazoned in his memory bank.

Ty, now a junior guard for No. 1 seed Virginia, is chock-full of lessons from his dad, who coached him _ sometimes rather intensely _ while growing up in the New York suburbs. Intensely might be an understatement. Demeaning was a description Ty used, but not in the way one would perceive.

“He’s always been my biggest friend and my biggest critic,” Jerome said. “He’ll break down film for me. He’ll watch every game we play three or four times. He’ll send me notes, like at this minute mark you should have done this.”

Mark Jerome was a high school basketball coach when Ty was just a toddler, but when Ty reached four or five years old, he also become Ty’s coach and remained that way. Mark led the noted Riverside Church basketball program for a decade and watched as Ty helped win a national championship.

With both his mom and dad having been college basketball players it was almost predestined that he would become one, too. Mark, who has returned to high school coaching, makes it down to ACC country any time he gets a chance to watch his son perform.

Ty grew up in the highly competitive AAU leagues and playing for Iona Prep in the New York Catholic League. He spent his in-between time on the city’s famous, sometimes infamous outdoor courts such as Rucker Park.

Thursday afternoon the UVA guard will be pursuing a bigger prize, the ultimate prize for a college player. The Cavaliers will open the NCAA Tournament against 16th-seeded Gardner-Webb, a Cinderella team making its first appearance in school history.

At the same time, Jerome and teammates will be attempting to wipe away last year’s nightmare against No. 16 UMBC. If you haven’t heard that story, you must have been living under a rock since the madness of last March.

Certainly, Jerome’s presence on the court will be a key, if not crucial element in Virginia advancing forward in pursuit of the school’s first Final Four appearance since 1984. Gardner-Webb coach Tim Craft believes Jerome is the key.

“I think Ty Jerome is the guy that kind of is the head of the snake in terms of he can score, can facilitate, has got size (6-foot-5), can make shots, can score it in the paint,” Craft said. “He’s just a multi-dimensional player.

“He can pick-and-roll, or he’s coming off those pin downs, down screens, where he just gets a little bit of an angle on a closeout. Now he gets into the paint, can make jumpers in those midrange areas, can make floaters, can draw defense and dump it off to their post players for layups or spray it out to shooters for threes.  Or, he can just beat you one-on-one sometimes from the top.”

Then there’s Jerome’s own ability to deliver long-range daggers from Bonusphere with a bravado uncommon to most shooters.

“He can shoot it from about 22, 23 feet at a high level,” the G-W coach said. “He creates some problems for you defensively.”

That’s a mouthful but exhibits what a complete guard Jerome has become under Tony Bennett.

The New Yorker considered Craft’s description of him as head of the snake as a compliment, which it was intended as one.

“It’s a great compliment,” Jerome said before Virginia’s practice Thursday at Colonial Life Arena. “That says that I’m the leader of this team and kinda run the ship. It just speaks to my competitive edge. It comes with great responsibility, that this team is going to go how I go. It’s up to me to bring the energy every day.”

Jerome does just that except for his recent outing at the ACC Tournament in Charlotte when he came down with what he called a really bad virus the day before the tourney. He confirmed Thursday that he wasn’t himself for either the N.C. State or Florida State games, though he’s healthy now. He actually practiced for the first time Wednesday since the loss in the semifinals.

Kyle Guy, a McDonald’s All-American shooting guard who came in with the same recruiting class as Jerome, has become like a brother. The two can finish one another’s sentences because they’re on the same wavelength.

Jerome was kidding around in Thursday’s interviews when he said that shortly after he committed to Virginia that so did Guy, who then began following Jerome on every social media, drawing laughter from everyone in attendance.

The duo were a part of a recruiting class that also included De’Andre Hunter and Jay Huff, a class that was ranked No. 8 nationally by some recruiting services.

Guy believes Jerome is the best point guard he’s ever played with and loves to expound on the reasons why.

“It’s not only his vision, because I’ve played with some guys with good vision, but his ability to see things before they happen,” Guy said. “He’s two steps ahead of everybody else.”

All those factors, and Craft’s snake comments, haven’t gone unnoticed for more experienced eyes.

CBS basketball analyst Bill Raftery, who will be calling Thursday’s Virginia game alongside Jim Nance and added analyst Grant Hill, has seen Jerome in person and on video and has been more than impressed.

“I’ve never seen a kid that has the selection of passes [Jerome possesses],” said Raftery who has seen a lot of basketball. “Whether it’s a bounce pass, a hook pass, or a bowling pass, I just think he has a great feel and understanding of the game.”

Then there’s the deep shooting ability.

While maybe not as prolific as backcourt mate Guy, Mr. Jerome is just as fearless if not more so.

“[Jerome] is not afraid of the moment,” said Raftery, who usually describes that type of daring from behind the arc as a player having “onions.”

Guy knows all about that quality.

“I would say between the two of us and Dre’ [Hunter], we’re some pretty ballsy shooters,” Guy grinned. “We don’t really care about anything other than what’s right in front of us.

“I have faith in Ty shooting any shot he wants to shoot, even if he airballs a few, nobody gets mad because he’s hit them before and he’ll hit them again.”

Airballs are a rarity. Jerome is a career .421 percent 3-point shooter (.434 this season).

He’s definitely not shy when it comes to wanting the ball in his hands in big moments.

“When the moment comes, I try to seize it,” Jerome said unapologetically. “It doesn’t always go in but I can live with it.”

Wahoo fans would debate on their favorite Jerome bomb. Most would say the one at Cameron Indoor last year when he drained the life out of the Blue Devils with a huge and deep three late in the comeback win.

Others might pick the one at Syracuse this season when his back foot was only about a foot from the block ‘S’ at midcourt.

Jerome’s personal favorite was the leather rainbow he drilled in late in the ACC Tournament championship last year that sealed the fate of North Carolina.

“I could always shoot the ball but Coach Bennett really stressed the need to shoot off the move,” Jerome said about the evolution of his range.

Guy already had that when he arrived. Bennett was famous for that as a college sniper, then later in the NBA. Drills with both of them brought Jerome up to speed as well.

“I get so much inspiration from players like Kobe Bryant and Kyrie Irving, just watching them,” Jerome said. “You don’t necessarily have to have the same talent. Their mentalities and work ethic inspired me.”

Raftery said that Jerome has more of a complete game than Joe Harris did at the same stage at UVA. Harris has become one of, if not the best 3-point shooter in the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets.

“Jerome has an NBA point guard’s mentality and size,” Raftery said. “Grant [Hill] and I were talking about it on the way [to Columbia]. He thought pretty much the same as me. I think [Jerome] will make a nice living (at the next level).”

It’s a shooter’s mentality for sure. Jerome believes that if he’s 0-for-12 and the game is on the line, he’s still going to want to take the shot. His confidence comes from all the work he puts in every single day, in season and out of season.

“With all the work, why would I shy away from the moment when it’s finally here,” Jerome posed.

Never allow anyone to take away for confidence. A sermon well learned.

Virginia Steamrolls Another ACC Foe

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Last Saturday night, Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton walked into the press room at John Paul Jones Arena and looked like he had been blindsided by one of those locomotives that appear out of nowhere and flatten Wile E. Coyote in the Road Runner cartoons.

Beep, beep!

His No. 9 Seminoles basketball team had just been annihilated by No. 4 Virginia.

After Hamilton had settled into the post-game presser, he was so ready to answer one question, he didn’t even allow the sportswriter to finish asking.

“I already know what you’re going to ask,” Hamilton said, cutting off the reporter. “This is the best team we’ve played … it’s not even close. They’re going to be very difficult for a lot of people to play.”

One of those people found out the same way Hamilton did when Boston College hosted Virginia on Wednesday night.

83-56, thanks in part of a 16-0 run early in the second half as the visiting Cavaliers, one of only two unbeaten teams remaining in the nation (Michigan is the other) improved to 14-0 (2-0 ACC) in steamrolling the Eagles (9-5).

The win extended UVA’s longest road winning streak in the country — 12 games (Michigan is next with five) — and it was the Cavaliers’ 11th consecutive ACC road winning streak, fourth-longest in league history.

Virginia’s 83 points were the most in a regulation-timed ACC game in the Bennett era, and the fourth time this season the Cavaliers have scored that many points or more, which will absolutely drive their national detractors bonkers.

When it was over, Tony Bennett was his predictable humble self, noting that while he was thankful of the win, he wasn’t pleased with how his team performed on the defensive end of the floor.

“We have to tighten up on that end and I mean that sincerely,” Bennett said, pointing out that BC had beaten his team down the floor more times than he liked and touched the paint.

The Eagles got within six points early in the second half, but UVA outscored them 38-17 the rest of the way.

Bennett and his coaching staff recognized that BC was gassed, particularly missing leading rebounder, Steffon Mitchell, and instructed the Cavaliers to force the Eagles into more movement to wear them down.

Just another example of how well this Virginia team is put together.

“I’ve watched a lot of Virginia’s game films over the years and this team seems to be so well connected,” FSU’s Hamilton said last weekend. “They took advantage of every mistake we made because they are so much aware of where they are offensively and defensively. People ask me what do they do defensively … I think it’s the whole system. They’re all in sync.”

Hamilton knew one thing for sure. To beat Virginia and its “Pack-Line” defensive, opponents have to make shots from the perimeter.

His team didn’t, nor did BC.

While Alabama transfer Braxton Key was the X-Factor in the blowout of Florida State (20 points), on Wednesday night another player stepped into that role: redshirt junior Mamadi Diakite, who tied a career high with 18 points, plus had a season-high seven rebounds and matched a season high with two blocked shots.

While Hamilton raved about Key and labeled him UVA’s X-Factor if he continues to play well off the bench, Diakite has had his moments lately as well. In fact, he has put together four solid games over the last five outings, taking a bit of a back seat vs. FSU as Key torpedoed the Seminoles.

Hamilton said his defense did a decent job in holding down Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter in that loss, only to have Key blow them up.

“That set us back a little,” Hamilton said.

Bennett probably doesn’t mind if it’s Key one night, Diakite the next, giving Virginia even more firepower and making the Cavaliers more difficult to guard.

As the Virginia coach said Wednesday night, Diakite’s points were helpful because opponents are going to focus on trying to contain the Cavaliers’ three-headed scoring monster of Hunter (who had 18 points), Jerome (13), and Kyle Guy (10).

“Mamadi’s athleticism showed,” Bennett said. “He is an X-Factor for us.”

Not many teams have the luxury of having twin X-Factors, but Virginia will take it.

Wahoos Ride 16-0 Run To Blowout Win at BC

By Scott Ratcliffe

When Boston College forward Nik Popovic got past Jack Salt and cut Virginia’s lead to 48-41 with just over 15 minutes to play, it looked as if the fourth-ranked Cavaliers might be in for another dogfight against the Eagles.

The UVA defense didn’t allow another BC point for 7 minutes and 21 seconds, however, scoring 16 straight on the other end and eventually extending the nation’s longest road win streak to 12 games in what turned out to be an 83-56 blowout in Chestnut Hill Wednesday night.

The Wahoos (14-0, 2-0 ACC), who shot 60 percent (33 for 55) from the floor, outscored the Eagles 46-26 in the paint, and outrebounded BC, 41-21. The team’s 83 points were the most scored in regulation by a Tony Bennett-coached Virginia squad.

The victory also matched Virginia’s current 11-game ACC road win streak with North Carolina (1983-85) for the fourth-longest string away from home in conference history.

Redshirt junior forward Mamadi Diakite paced the Cavaliers in the first half, scoring 14 of his career-high-tying 18 points prior to the halftime break. Diakite, who finished 9 for 12, made good on 7 of his 10 first-half attempts, adding seven rebounds and a pair of blocks on the night.

Sophomore De’Andre Hunter added 18 points of his own — 13 of which came in the second half — to go along with his six rebounds and two assists, as he put on a show for the NBA scouts and executives in attendance at Silvio O. Conte Forum.

Ky Bowman and the Eagles (9-5, 0-2) came out aggressive and firing. Bowman nailed a pair of 3-pointers, and Jordan Chatman added another from long range to give BC an early 9-7 edge, and Bennett said he thought the Eagles “exploited a couple things” that will have to be worked out in upcoming practices.

“I thought [the Eagles] got down the floor quick, got some shots — missed a lot of shots — and touched our paint,” admitted Bennett, whose Cavalier teams moved to 30-1 all-time when scoring 80 or more. “I think those are things that we have to sure up, but we did show some versatility offensively, Mamadi gave us a lift.”

Diakite then scored six straight from in close, with the last bucket of the sequence jumpstarting a 10-2 Wahoo run — which included a pair of Ty Jerome 3s — to give the Cavaliers a 21-15 lead midway through the first half.

The Eagles crept to within five before an 11-3 spurt pushed the UVA lead to double digits, 39-26, late in the half. Jerome hit a shot in the lane in the closing seconds to make it a 43-31 halftime advantage for the ‘Hoos.

Jim Christian made some defensive adjustments at the half, as his Eagles, who were playing without leading rebounder Steffon Mitchell, threw a zone look at the UVA offense to start the second half. Initially, it worked, as BC used a quick 8-2 run out of the gate to get back within six on a Popovic 3-pointer.

Hunter answered with a big 3 of his own from the corner to spark a 19-2 Cavalanche over the next eight-plus minutes that in essence put the game away, as Virginia sank its teeth in and led by 23 by the time it was over, with just over eight minutes to play.

Hunter scored half of his points during the stretch, including a couple of strong takes in traffic that he made look rather easy against a tough BC defense.

“With the offense we run, we have guys like Kyle, Ty and even Mamadi who can shoot it and really space the floor,” said Hunter, “so it really opens up driving lanes and sometimes just open shots for me, so I just try to take advantage of that.

“We could tell [the Eagles] were gassed, so our coaches just told us to move them on offense, and on defense we just tried to do the same thing. They were getting a lot of paint touches and easy touches, but we just tried to cut that out in the second half.”

The ‘Hoos, now one of just two unbeaten teams in all of Division I (Houston lost Wednesday, leaving only Michigan and UVA), committed 11 turnovers on the night, but the Eagles, who only gave it away nine times, had a hard time capitalizing on the other end of the court.

Popovic led the Eagles with 16 points, with Bowman adding 15. Boston College shot 39 percent (22 of 57) from the field and 28 percent (7 of 25) from long range.

Jerome finished the game with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Kyle Guy might not have had his best night offensively, but still put up 10 points to go with his 8 boards and 5 assists, both of which matched career highs for the junior from Indianapolis. Both Jerome and Guy made 4 of 9 shots from the field, and both sank a pair of 3s.

Braxton Key chipped in with 9 points, a game-high 9 rebounds, 2 dimes and 2 blocks in another solid all-around performance off the bench.

Up next, the Cavaliers travel to Littlejohn Coliseum Saturday at noon to face Clemson.

Slideshow: Tony Bennett’s 25 Most Memorable Wins at UVA

In honor of Virginia head coach Tony Bennett recording his 300th career win over the weekend, we take a trip down Memory Lane with our 25 most memorable Bennett victories since arriving in Charlottesville in 2009. For more details on each game, see below (All Photos Courtesy UVA Sports Media Relations):

25. #13 Virginia 66, #8 Miami 58: Jan. 12, 2016 — Virginia moved to 13-3 on the season behind 20 points from Malcolm Brogdon, ending the Hurricanes’ 7-game win streak and knocking them out of the top 10.

24. #2 Virginia 61, #18 Clemson 36: Jan. 23, 2018 — The Cavaliers held Clemson to just 13 points in the second half and finished the game on an 18-2 run to bury the Tigers.

23. #11 Virginia 63, #16 Louisville 47: Jan. 30, 2016 — Anthony Gill and Malcolm Brogdon led the Wahoos to a 16-point drubbing of the Cardinals on the road, holding UL to 33 percent from the field.

22. Virginia 60, Wisconsin 54: Nov. 28, 2012 — Bennett returned to Madison for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and knocked off the Badgers, as Joe Harris led UVA with 22 points and Darion Atkins added 14.

21. #2 Virginia 59, Syracuse 47: Mar. 2, 2015 — The ‘Hoos rallied from ice cold shooting early on at the Carrier Dome and went on to claim their second straight outright ACC regular-season title.

20. #12 Virginia 71, #14 Notre Dame 54: Jan. 24, 2017 — London Perrantes was the hero in South Bend in this top-20 ACC matchup, sinking five triples as Virginia cruised over the Fighting Irish.

19. #8 Virginia 86, #12 Villanova 75: Dec. 19, 2015 — Brogdon, Gill and Perrantes led the charge as the Cavaliers pulled away from Jay Wright and the eventual national champion Wildcats in this memorable heavyweight bout at John Paul Jones Arena.

18. #2 Virginia 57, Georgia Tech 28: Jan. 22, 2015 — The Yellow Jackets became the third UVA opponent of the season to not reach the 30-point plateau. Bennett’s Pack Line limited GT to 28, which was the lowest point total ever in an ACC regular-season contest.

17. #17 Virginia 61, Maryland 53: Feb. 10, 2014 — UVA held on for the victory at JPJ as Wahoo fans sent out the Terrapins with chants of “ACC” in the final conference battle between the old-time rivals before the Terps moved on to the Big Ten.

16. Virginia 78, Memphis 60: Mar. 23, 2014 — The ‘Hoos rolled in the second-round contest of the NCAA Tournament in Raleigh, marking Virginia’s first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1995.

15. Virginia 84, Iowa State 71: Mar. 25, 2016 — Two years later, Bennett led the Wahoos back to the Elite 8 for the first time since that 1994-95 season with this Sweet 16 triumph over the Cyclones at the United Center in Chicago.

14. #10 Virginia 70, #14 West Virginia 54: Dec. 8, 2015 — The ‘Hoos initially struggled against “Press Virginia” and trailed by as many as 12 in this Jimmy V Classic matchup at Madison Square Garden, but London Perrantes went 3 for 3 from deep and scored all 13 of his points in the second half to help seal the W.

13. #8 Virginia 61, #12 North Carolina 49: Jan. 6, 2018 — Mamadi Diakite ignited the crowd with a couple of highlight-reel dunks, but De’Andre Hunter made a name for himself with a jaw-dropping baseline jam, and Virginia cruised over the Tar Heels in last year’s early ACC showdown.

12. #12 Virginia 61, #6 Louisville 53: Dec. 28, 2016 — After grabbing a 21-point lead in the second half, the Cavaliers withstood a Cardinal comeback at the Yum Center. “Virginia seems to be our Kryptonite,” said UL coach Rick Pitino afterwards.

11. #4 Virginia 68, #11 Louisville 46: Mar. 5, 2016 — Mike Tobey put up 15 points and 20 rebounds in his final home game (it was also Brogdon, Gill and Evan Nolte’s Senior Day), while another senior, Caid Kirven, put the icing on the cake when he nailed a 3 before being mobbed by his teammates.

10. Virginia 48, #18 Pittsburgh 45: Feb. 2, 2014 — Malcolm Brogdon sank a dagger 3 from the top of the key to beat the buzzer and lift then-unranked UVA to a huge upset win on the ACC road. The ‘Hoos were ranked 20th the following week and didn’t drop out until early last season.

9. #3 Virginia 52, #9 Louisville 47: Feb. 7, 2015 — In Rick Pitino’s first trip to JPJ, the mighty Wahoo defense was once again on full display, holding the Cardinals to 13 points in the opening half, and UVA held on late to cap a tough three-game stretch against Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams and Pitino.

8. #3 Virginia 79, #7 North Carolina 74: Feb. 27, 2016 — Roy Williams brought his Heels into Charlottesville with ESPN’s College GameDay on hand earlier in the day, and Malcolm Brogdon scored a game-high 26 points as a 16-5 run by the ‘Hoos helped them pull away in this top-10 affair. Williams went on to say that Brogdon’s performance that day was as good as he’d seen all year, “maybe several years.”

7. Virginia 73, #3 Duke 68: Feb. 28, 2013 — Joe Harris poured in 36 points to end Virginia’s 11-year drought against top-5 opponents. The fans stormed the court afterwards, prompting Coach K to infamously make a fuss about arena security not properly allowing his team to exit the floor.

6. #11 Virginia 72, Wake Forest 71: Jan. 26, 2016 — It was a comeback for the ages in Winston-Salem, as the Wahoos erased a 10-point deficit in the final 90 seconds and escaped on an improbable, heavily contested, buzzer-beating corner 3-pointer off the glass by Darius Thompson.

5. #1 Virginia 67, Louisville 66: Mar. 1, 2018 — It’s tough to beat Thompson’s big shot at Wake in 2016, but after a wild sequence, De’Andre Hunter caught an inbound pass from Ty Jerome with less than a second left and sank a game-winning 3-pointer as time expired to punctuate another incredible late rally, and Bennett’s top-ranked ‘Hoos became the first ACC team to ever finish 9-0 on the road in league competition.

4. #2 Virginia 65, #4 Duke 63: Jan. 27, 2018 — Ty Jerome shook off his man and knocked down one of the most memorable shots in UVA history to lift the Cavaliers to a win in Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time since 1995. Wahoo fans will never forget Kyle Guy going at it with Grayson Allen for a loose ball during the top-5 battle.

3. #1 Virginia 71, #12 North Carolina 63: Mar. 10, 2018 — Bennett’s boys went up to Brooklyn and hoisted the third ACC Tournament trophy in school history with the victory over the Heels, setting the UVA mark for wins in a season with 31. Tourney MVP Kyle Guy scored 16 to lead the Cavaliers, who started the season unranked and headed into the NCAA Tournament as the top overall seed. At season’s end, Bennett was named National Coach of the Year for a third time (second only to the legendary John Wooden).

2. #12 Virginia 75, #4 Syracuse 56: Mar. 1, 2014 — It was Senior Day for Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell, and the Wahoos were able to cut down the nets and celebrate an ACC regular-season championship on their home floor for arguably the most memorable scene in program history. “Last time I heard it that loud [at JPJ], I was at the Taylor Swift concert,” Bennett said afterwards. “I remember I sat there and there were 14,000 teenage girls screaming and I was like, ‘I wonder if we can get it like this for a game.’ And I’m telling you something; it either rivaled it or surpassed it. It was that good.”

1. #6 Virginia 72, #7 Duke 63: Mar. 16, 2014 — The long wait was finally over for Cavalier fans, as Bennett became just the second Virginia coach to win an ACC Tournament when the ‘Hoos prevailed over Jabari Parker and the Blue Devils in Greensboro. UVA hadn’t won a league tournament title since 1976 and went on to claim a 1-seed in the Big Dance the following week. Tournament MVP Joe Harris (15 points) and Malcolm Brogdon (23 points) each had key outings in the victory. “Wally Walker said we want some company with that team in ’76,” said Bennett.