Virginia Basketball: Storybook 2018-19 season fittingly ends with national title

The Virginia basketball team executed the pivotal plays in crunch time to prevail versus Texas Tech, an appropriate result given what transpired a year ago.

I’m not a huge believer in destiny, but I can’t help but think that fate proved on the Virginia basketball program’s side as it journeyed through the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Over its past quartet of games, the Cavaliers, a No. 1 seed, could easily have experienced defeat in every single one of them, however, UVA somehow, someway always managed to survive and advance. Now, the Cavaliers (35-3) are national champions for the inaugural instance in school history, and I couldn’t feel more elated for their players, fans and head coach Tony Bennett.

Following its overtime conquering of No. 3 seed Texas Tech (31-7) on Monday evening, I saw a lot of folks post on social media that Virginia’s performance represents the most-unbelievable turnaround imaginable, given that the Cavaliers, the No. 1 overall seed in the 2018 Big Dance, shockingly fell in the round of 64 to No. 16 seed UMBC. Personally, I wouldn’t characterize what UVA has done in the 2018-19 campaign as a turnaround, because it’s not like the Cavaliers competed at a sub-par level the prior stanza. In fact, they possessed a terrific term, and then they ran into that Retrievers’ buzz-saw to lose in mind-boggling fashion.

In my humble opinion, rather, I would describe Virginia’s run to the NCAA crown as a lucid example of defying the odds, exhibiting grace and humility, and tirelessly fighting with determination, grit and perseverance. It’s a redemption narrative, and a beautiful one at that.

I don’t have any true allegiance to the Cavaliers. I root for them, because they’re an Atlantic Coast Conference member, as is my alma mater, Syracuse. I believe that Bennett is one of the classiest guys in all of collegiate hoops. In five of the last six seasons, UVA has collected a minimum of 29 victories, but, before this most-recent March Madness, it hadn’t proceeded to the national semi-finals, including a devastating second-half collapse in the Elite Eight to my Orange in 2016.

So given the Cavaliers’ historic setback to UMBC a mere 12 months ago, how Virginia handled that blow, and used it as motivation, is undeniably impressive. The Cavaliers captured a share of the ACC regular-season title. They earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney. Then, the fun, albeit heart-stopping joy, ensued.

First up, in the opening round against No. 16 seed Gardner-Webb, déjà vu almost repeated itself, as the Bulldogs built a double-digit, first-half edge, before UVA regained its composure and pulled out a conquest after intermission. The Cavaliers fended off a feisty Oregon outfit in the Sweet 16, winning by just four points.

Virginia needed a ridiculous buzzer-beating jumper to force overtime versus No. 3 seed Purdue in the Elite Eight, where the Cavaliers then secured a five-point success. In the Final Four, No. 5 seed Auburn roared back from a 10-point deficit late in the second stanza to hold a four-point advantage with fewer than 20 seconds remaining. That’s when junior guard Kyle Guy took over, tallying six points, including three free throws with 0.6 seconds left to seal the deal.

Finally, in the championship clash, UVA held a fairly comfortable margin for much of the encounter, but naturally the Red Raiders eventually snagged the lead. A 3-pointer by sophomore wing De’Andre Hunter with 12 seconds to go in regulation meant five more minutes of free basketball, and the Cavaliers seized control in that extra session.

Let’s tip our hat to Texas Tech, whose head coach, Chris Beard, is tremendous, and whose roster competed at an extremely high level. One or two developments happen in a different manner, and the Red Raiders would have hoisted the trophy on Monday night. That’s the excitement, and misery, of the Big Dance. Thirty-five years had passed since Virginia’s previous trip to the national semi-finals.

In the 2019 March Madness, things appeared grim for the Cavaliers on numerous occasions. They never folded. They never gave up. They made pressure-packed plays when contests proved absolutely on the line. They deserve this moment. The crown has arrived in Charlottesville, Va., whether destiny, fate – or even luck – had a role in it or not.