A Tony Bennett Moment: Virginia Captures the Main Event Title in Las Vegas

William Smythe | Feb 4, 2025

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Ahead of the ceremony honoring Tony Bennett on February 8th, Virginia Cavaliers On SI is taking a look back at some of UVA basketball's best moments of the Tony Bennett era.

Only five days after a shooting claimed the lives of three Virginia football players — Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry  — the men’s basketball team took the court in Las Vegas for a four-team tournament featuring No. 5 Baylor, No. 8 UCLA, and No. 19 Illinois. Coach Tony Bennett wore a quarter-zip with a “1, 15, 41” stitch emblazoned on his right shoulder, while Virginia’s players donned “UVA Strong” shirts in the wake of November 13. On their backs were the names of Chandler, Davis, and Perry.

With heavy hearts, the 16th-ranked ‘Hoos stared down a fearsome opponent in Baylor — a No. 1 seed in the prior NCAA Tournament and a National Champion in 2021. Virginia would need a spirited effort from its players in order to steal one away in Vegas. Fortunately, senior guard Armaan Franklin and the rest of his teammates were up to the task.

Even when the Bears gained a seven-point lead with 4:12 remaining in the first half, Virginia didn’t roll over. Franklin and fifth-year forward Ben Vander Plas led the charge and scored the ‘Hoos’ last nine points. Baylor led 33-30 at the break.

Bennett rallied the troops at halftime. In the blink of an eye, Virginia blitzed out to a 10-2 run thanks to three-pointers from Franklin and fifth-year guard Kihei Clark. The barrage didn’t stop there. Junior guard Reece Beekman joined in on the fun, alternating three-pointers with Franklin that were followed by one each from Vander Plas and freshman forward Ryan Dunn — a 31.3% 3PT shooter that year. With 10:47 to go, the result was all but final.

A 60-38 lead wasn’t what many expected from a Virginia team reeling from a traumatic week. The ‘Hoos put together arguably the best performance of their season just when Charlottesville needed it most. Baylor clawed back from their 22-point hole and narrowed the lead to six late in the game, but Bennett’s crew wouldn’t squander the advantage. Virginia shot a blistering 64.3% from behind the arc on 14 attempts. Franklin — an inconsistent scorer the season prior — exploded for 26 and shot 50.0% from three-point range. Next up, however, was a potent Illinois team that had toppled UCLA in the other semifinal.

Only two days later, the ‘Hoos returned to the same court to vie for the Main Event Classic Title. The Fighting Illini’s Terrence Shannon came into the contest as one of the nation’s most dynamic scorers, having cashed in eight of his nine three-point attempts against UCLA the night before. Beekman would see the bulk of Shannon in the final. 

While boasting less of an offensive showcase, Virginia mirrored in part the script of the Baylor game; down two at halftime, the ‘Hoos scored the first six points of the second half and pushed away from Illinois’ advances until the 5:25 mark, in which guard Jayden Epps hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 53. Virginia were now on their heels. An and-1 Beekman layup with 3:12 remaining, however, launched a “Cavalanche” that saw 12 unanswered points by the ‘Hoos. They had played the final minutes of the contest perfectly, and Bennett had captured his ninth non-conference tournament title in his fourteen-year tenure. 

Beekman held Shannon to nine points in the Main Event final. Only one of the Illini’s starters reached double-digits in another defensive masterclass from Virginia. Moreover, It’s not far-fetched to label this tournament win as the most impressive non-conference title captured under Bennett. Still raw with emotion, the ‘Hoos made a statement in Vegas and catapulted to the second spot in the national polls. They would only remain there for a week on account of a home loss to No. 5 Houston, but Bennett orchestrated a tremendous coaching job throughout that 2022-23 campaign.

While a tie for the ACC regular-season title can’t compensate for the first-round loss to Furman in the Big Dance, Virginia rebounded from an NIT appearance the year prior by relying on veteran leadership and their trademark Pack Line. Their Main Event triumph transcended the heavyweight belt held by Clark after the Illinois win, as the win resounded through a community rocked by recent tragedy.

Other stories in our series on Tony Bennett's best moments at Virginia

A Tony Bennett Moment: Virginia Wills Itself Past Gardner-Webb

A Tony Bennett Moment: Reece Beekman's Buzzer Beater vs Syracuse

A Tony Bennett Moment: Beekman Takes Down Duke at the Buzzer in Cameron