UVA Basketball: Takeaways from thrilling Elite Eight win over Purdue
3. Nothing ever comes easy in March…or April.
Every game in the NCAA Tournament is a challenge. Regardless of whether the game is in the first round or the Elite Eight, there is no such thing as a “pushover” in the Big Dance. UVA learned that the hard way a year ago by dropping their opening-round game but that has the team even more battle-tested and hardened. They are incredibly experienced and more motivated than any other team in the country. This unit has learned from their past and making the Final Four this season is an incredible feat.
But…they’re not done yet.
With this win over Purdue, head coach Tony Bennett’s team is now just two wins away from cutting down the final nets in Minneapolis. And while their wins in the Big Dance this season might not be the “prettiest”, they just continue to find a way to pull out victories. In the first round, they withstood the mental challenge of once again struggling against a No. 16 seed and put together a great second half to walk away victorious. They then followed that up with an all-around strong performance against Oklahoma to reach the Sweet 16.
The Cavaliers were then taken to the wire by scorching hot No. 12 seed Oregon but eventually pulled away down the stretch in the low-scoring affair. This put the team in the Elite Eight and they had not even played particularly well to get to that point. Even then, though, the “Tony Bennett can’t reach a Final Four” stigma still lingered. That can now be put to rest.
In easily their biggest challenge of the NCAA Tournament so far, the Cavaliers maintained tremendous composure in an instant-classic win over Purdue. The overtime victory will forever be mentioned as one of the best games of this tournament and their win is even more impressive when you consider that the vast majority of the crowd was favoring the Boilermakers (due to the game being played in Louisville).
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Looking ahead to the Final Four, this team knows exactly what is coming: another challenge. Virginia has been tested time and time again throughout this season and they will be ready for another. Both Auburn and Kentucky (their two potential opponents) have the potential to be a major threat not only to beat UVA but also win the title.