The Tony Bennett era at Virginia has been marked with increasing success. Who would have thought that a guy from Washington State could turn the program 180 degrees so quickly? It’s certainly been an illustrious period for the Hoos, whether it be NBA picks, ACC Championships, or National Championships.
With so many great teams, we figured we would weigh in on the argument as to which one takes the cake.
A few things to keep in mind as you read this:
- Postseason success and win totals will be taken into account, as those things are tangible proof of the skill of the team.
- The most important thing, however, is the players. Which players were on the team, what year were they in, how were they playing, etc. While the above will be taken into account, the players on the team is what we’re really looking at.
- How the players played together is essential in this, because in reality it’s about how these players are working together as opposed to their individual skill. That’s where win totals and postseason wins start to come into play.
Boring you with this long-winded explanation? Probably. So let’s get to it. Here are our five best Bennett teams.
5. 2013-14
The 2013-14 season was what set it all in motion. This was the first true year where the Hoos were nationally relevant, when Virginia arrived on the national stage, so to speak. It was Joe Harris’s senior year and Malcolm Brogdon’s second. The memorable moment of that year was the ACC Championship win over Duke of course, when the two of them combined for 38 points and Virginia’s first ACCT Championship in as many years.
After a 9-4 start and a 35-point shellacking to Tennessee, the season looked gone. But many credit that loss as the fuel that really got the engine started for Bennett’s reign at Virginia. They turned it around big-time from there, only losing three times the rest of the way as they took the ACC regular season. The season ended with that incredible yet questionable game against Michigan State at MSG, but no amount of water could quell the flames that had already started.
This was an incredible team, no doubt about it, with a host of great players. But many of them were only in their first years in Charlottesville, yet to blossom into their future selves. Either way, it was a great team that put together a memorable season. 30-7 and fifth? Pretty damn good.
4. 2017-18
Like all the others on this list, this team won a lot of games. More, in fact, than any other besides it’s successor. That’s amazing in and of itself, given that this team won less NCAA Tournament games than all of the others. Say what you will about the early exit, but it was an amazing season albeit with a sour ending.
Putting aside the postseason disaster, this team had a better regular season than any other since the purveyor of the pack-line arrived. Why, then, are they only fourth? Well, this team was very similar to the one that followed it. Two graduated from it, two stepped in to fill their shoes. The point can be made either way about whether Devon Hall and Isaiah Wilkins as seniors were better than Kihei Clark as a freshman and Braxton Key as a junior.
Regardless, the core of the team—Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, and De’Andre Hunter—were a whole year older in 2018-19. That made that team a whole lot better, and is the reason why this one is below it and others. Don’t get me wrong—this team was fantastic—but take the players at the stage that they were and the other teams have an edge over them, 31 wins or not.
3. 2014-15
This team and the one that came a year after it have the same dynamic as the two from 2017-19. 2015-16 is basically the revamped version of 2014-15. The only player of note graduating from this team was Darion Atkins, a good glue guy, but never a star. Justin Anderson did leave, but he was injured nearly the whole season anyway. So the 2015-16 team clearly has an advantage as it has all the same players but with another year on top of it.
That’s not to say that it wasn’t still a great team. The fact that they lost three of their last five undoubtedly put a damper on what was a great season. Before that period, the Hoos were 28-1 and regular season champs. With the rock-solid core of players, they were a formidable team to face. Anthony Gill (still the best undersized big guy ever) and the hulking Mike Tobey made an impressive pair, as did Malcolm Brogdon and Justin Anderson until he got injured.
The season ended in a disappointing loss to Michigan State that was definitely coincidental. To this day, that Spartans team still may be the most underseeded 7 seed in the history of the tournament. Alas, the committee did what it did and a great season was abruptly and cruelly ended. That doesn’t change that it was one of the top three teams of the Bennett era.
2. 2015-16
Whereas we may be able to look back on UMBC at this point with no pain given the National Championship that followed, the same does not hold true with the events of the 2016 tournament. Even four years later, it still hurts to think of that heart-wrenching loss and how it happened. I’m not going to force myself to get into the specifics of the collapse (who needs something else to be upset over at the moment, right?).
Instead, let’s recount that truly incredible team. The guard play was truly remarkable. London Perrantes, a Junior, and Malcolm Brogdon as a Senior were a pair to rival (or usurp) Guy and Jerome. Perrantes averaged 11 points and and 4.5 assists, while The Prez poured in 18 points and 3 assists. What Brogdon did that year was truly remarkable. Despite the impressive exploits of the National Championship three, none of them came close to Brogs.
And Anthony Gill may be one of the most underrated players of the Bennett tenure. He averaged 14 points and 6 rebounds that year. If the guy was three inches taller he would have been a lottery pick. Those three along with Mike Tobey made up a team that is very nearly the best of the Bennett era.
1. 2018-19
The National Champs, winners of 35 games, losses to two teams all season—the list goes on. There’s really not enough good things to say about this team. The only thing working against them is the unfortunate tendency to appear to throw away games only to snag them back in the closing seconds.
Other than that, there’s nothing not to like. Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, and De’Andre Hunter were truly extraordinary players as a group. Maybe none of them was as good as Brogdon, but then again, none of them stayed for their senior year. And Kihei Clark stepping in, Mamadi Diakite emerging, Braxton Key playing a big role in the title game, and even Jay Huff chipping in were huge.
It was a fantastic team filled with fantastic players, and unlike the one ranked right below it, ultimately lived up to its expectations. That’s what tips the scales in the direction of the National Champions.