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

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.

Virginia’s season outlook was bleak. The Cavaliers had dropped their season opener in disastrous fashion against Navy, and they had failed to eclipse 50 points in an upset by James Madison. Carrying a 15-9 record into Durham, Coach Tony Bennett faced an uphill climb against a Blue Devil team that had won five straight prior to their matchup against the ‘Hoos, including a 20-point drubbing of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. It had been hard enough for Virginia to steal a win away at Cameron in 2017-18, a campaign in which the ‘Hoos lost only one ACC game.

In 2022, Bennett entered the matchup with a 1-6 record in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Coach Mike Krzyzewski — Virginia’s kryptonite — had announced his intention to retire after the season’s end and looked poised for a deep run in March. The ‘Hoos, on the other hand, had suffered from the losses of former transfers Sam Hauser and Trey Murphy III and unicorn center Jay Huff, as senior Kihei Clark and sophomore Reece Beekman assumed a heavier burden.

I had the good fortune to attend this contest as a credentialed journalist for The Cavalier Daily, fulfilling a bucket list item that allowed me a front-row seat in one of college basketball’s most historic venues. I received a score of boos from Cameron Crazies in K-Ville after they spotted my Virginia quarter zip, and I felt the wrath of the fanbase inside the hallowed arena.

Much to my surprise, the ‘Hoos punched the Blue Devils in the mouth. Virginia broke free of early gridlock and extended their lead to 12 with 2:24 remaining in the first half. Junior forward Jayden Gardner decimated a Duke defense that allowed him to sit comfortably in the mid-range, an area in which he thrived. Virginia looked to be playing a perfect game.

It’s important to note that Bennett’s rotation also included senior guard Kody Stattmann and a preferred walk-on in sophomore guard Malachi Poindexter, who averaged 3.3 and 1.0 PPG, respectively. They took the court against a litany of five-star prospects, including the future No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft — forward Paolo Banchero. Three other Duke stars — forward AJ Griffin, guard Trevor Keels, and center Mark Williams — would be drafted within the first 42 picks that same year. Talent defined Coach Krzyzewski's final season.

Bennett managed to make life incredibly difficult for Banchero. I’m not quite sure how this happened, but Stattman frequently received the assignment against the future first pick in the draft. He conceded two inches and 50 pounds. Regardless, the ‘Hoos quickly crashed the paint and showcased the hallmark physicality of the Pack-Line with a suffocating first-half performance. Virginia carried a five-point lead into the second half in Cameron.

Those last 20 minutes were legendary. The ‘Hoos answered every Duke bucket until the 11:18 mark, in which Keels nailed a pivotal three-pointer that resulted in a Bennett timeout. Would Virginia have the moxie to prevent a Blue Devil avalanche? Sophomore forward Kadin Shedrick slammed not one, not two, but three dunks home in the following four minutes. Duke then swerved ahead and gained a three-point lead late in the game.

1:54-1:47:

Up two, Duke junior guard Jeremy Roach rebounds the ball after a block. Sneaking behind the play, however, is Beekman, who wrests the ball from Roach and gets an emphatic AND-1 bucket to tie the game at 66. Let the record state that I lost my mind in the press row.

Beekman missed the free throw, but he set the tone.

0:13-0:07:

Down two, Virginia rushes to create a shot with the shot clock dwindling. Junior guard Armaan Franklin launches a contested midrange jumper only for Duke’s Theo John to collect the rebound. Clark — a bit undersized compared to the 6’9,” 242 lb. graduate student forward — ties himself up and initiates a jump ball call from the referees.

Virginia is awarded possession. 66-68.

0:07-0:03:

Beekman inbounds the ball to Clark, who dribbles back towards the center of the three-point line. The sophomore guard drifts from his inbound position and finds a soft spot on the wing — now directly in front of my seat. Clark tosses it to a wide-open Beekman. The three-point attempt goes up just before Banchero can get there…

Virginia 69-68. Three seconds later and the ‘Hoos are victorious.

REECE BEEKMAN GAME-WINNING THREE WITH 0.7 LEFT 🤯

VIRGINIA UPSETS NO. 7 DUKE AT CAMERON STADIUM‼️@UVAMensHoops pic.twitter.com/D1OU7s28TK
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 8, 2022

One of the more overlooked wins in Bennett’s tenure, Virginia played a terrific game on both sides of the ball despite shooting a porous 16.7% from behind the arc. In the end, the only one that mattered was Beekman’s. The ‘Hoos also held Banchero (9 PTS) to his second-worst scoring output of the year. His lowest? An eight-point outing against Virginia in a 65-61 win by Duke in Charlottesville.

Virginia also dominated the turnover battle, 15-5. The Pack-Line confused Duke’s younger stars with its vicious approach in the frontcourt and physical hedges, and the ‘Hoos kept the ball safe on the offensive end. Even if Virginia didn’t scratch the NCAA Tournament and watched Duke race to the Final Four, Bennett had dealt Krzyzewski a brutal loss in his farewell tour.

Beekman’s shot will not soon be forgotten in Charlottesville.

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: Virginia Captures the Main Event Title in Las Vegas