Talk about being on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. In 2018, Virginia fans stared at an NCAA Tournament result numb in stunned disbelief. In 2019, Virginia fans stared at an NCAA Tournament result numb in stunned disbelief. But, boy oh boy, were the circumstances and the shock different.
By now, everyone knows UVA’s version of a rags to riches story. A year ago, March Madness dealt the Hoos a devastating loss when UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed as Jairus Lyles and company sent bonkers in a 74-54 upset. Virginia became a punchline for many and a punching bag for some. The Cavaliers handled it well immediately with Tony Bennett framing it with respect and perspective. Brave face, brave soul, or both, that set the stage for the months to come.
Fans needed some time to deal with it. The shock was real. Some fans cried. Some just sat and stared. There was complaining and cursing, ruing and rationalizing too. The message boards on this site captured all the emotions.
And then there was the wait. Waiting for the white hot immediacy to subside. Waiting for the dust to settle. Waiting for the fallout in the media and in recruiting. Waiting for the summer to pass. Waiting for the season to start. Waiting for the games to start.
The UMBC questions for the team followed the whole way. Preseason media questions, in-season media questions, postseason media questions. That was OK. Behind the mottoes of “United Pursuit” and “Press On,” the Hoos had buried the fear long ago and then attempted to channel it into something more powerful. So taunts on the road and questions from the media melted away to another stellar season.
Still, no one knew - not even the Cavaliers themselves - what March would hold. Certainly, not since they had again earned a No. 1 seed and would have to look the No. 16 seed demons in the face. They were confident, but likely didn’t realize that dealing with the afermath of a pressure-induced upset didn’t mean they were immune to pressure. Any illusions of that disappeared five minutes into an opening round game.
Gardner-Webb, playing just two hours from its campus, took a lead just four minutes into the game that grew to a 30-16 advantage over the next 10 minutes. With what seemed like all of Boiling Springs, N.C., in the arena roaring with each successful shot, all those emotions and all that pressure landed squarely in the middle of UVA’s huddle in Columbia, S.C. They responded, rallied by halftime, and won going away. Bennett reportedly entered the locker room and took a stuffed monkey off his back.
Now, it was time to try to get back to a phrase from another year’s disappointment and keep knocking. That they did. The Hoos smothered Oklahoma and Oregon to reach the Elite 8 where another road atmosphere awaited on a neutral court. With Purdue playing fewer than four hours from its campus, the Yum! Center in Louisville pulsed with Boilermaker excitement. That fueled an audacious shooting display to start as Purdue made its first 3 3-point attempts and 7 of its first 10. The sixth one lifted the Boilermakers to a double-digit lead at 22-12 approximately 10 minutes into the game.
Virginia stayed the course and then endured one of the tournament’s great shooting displays from Carsen Edwards the rest of the night. Purdue’s shot-creating guard erupted for 42 points that included 10-of-19 shooting from 3-point range and kept UVA from pulling away late in the second half. His 10th and final triple gave his team the lead at 69-67 heading into the final minute and the Hoos looked cooked until the improbable sequence unfolded to save their season.
The teams traded blows again in overtime before De’Andre Hunter, Kyle Guy, and Kihei Clark put the game away with a powerful driving layup from Hunter and then free throws from the latter duo in the final 30 seconds. And with that 80-75 overtime win, the Cavaliers had completed a run to the Final Four.
It’s an agony to glory story that fans hoped for, but no one really knew if it would unfold that way. There’s a chance to finish it off with the most improbable turnaround of all - the first one seed to lose to a sixteen seed comes back the next year and wins the school’s first National Championship.
Whether that happens or not, though, doesn’t diminish what a remarkable response this season has been to that torturous defeat to UMBC. The Hoos won another ACC Regular Season Championship and advanced to the ACC Tournament Semifinals again. They set a school record for wins with 33. They’re in the Final Four.
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