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Wednesday 10 april 2019

Comeback Cavs! A year after pain, Virginia gets its title

By EDDIE PELLS aliers intentionally missed
AP National Writer a free throw, got the ball
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — It back and fed to Mamadi
was an easy question to Diakite, who beat the buzz-
ask, even if the answer was er to send the game into
tough to absorb. overtime.
"Why?" They won 80-75.
It dogged Virginia for a And then in the semifinal
year and three weeks — Saturday against Auburn,
following the Cavaliers when Guy got fouled while
through sweat-soaked shooting a 3 with 0.6 sec-
practices, hostile arenas up onds left, and calmly sank
and down the East Coast, all three free throws. They
on talk radio and pundit- won 63-62.
driven TV, and in their own, "I hope that it's a message
doubt-filled, uncertain for some people out there
minds. that there can be hope
The only truly satisfying and joy and resiliency," said
answer to "Why?" came Virginia coach Tony Ben-
Monday night — and with nett, whose father Dick, the
the confetti falling and coach who wrote the book
the nets dangling around on stifling man-to-man de-
their necks, it all seemed so fense, was in the crowd.
clear. "I'm thankful for what hap-
That humbling, history- pened."
making loss last season to All Virginia fans are.
Maryland-Baltimore Coun- Virginia players celebrate after the championship game against Texas Tech in the Final Four This is a program that has
ty happened so the Cava- NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 8, 2019, in Minneapolis. Virginia won 85-77 lived a tortured existence,
liers could stand at center in overtime starting around Christmas-
court and celebrate this time in 1982, when 7-foot-4
time around. able player. "I said earlier, simply would not go away. a pass down the baseline Ralph Sampson — as good
The only top seed to fall to it's a really special group Lottery-pick-in-waiting to Hunter, who spotted up as they came back in his
a No. 16 in the history of the because we all had the De'Andre Hunter scored from the corner. The na- day — was headlining the
NCAA Tournament is now same 'Why?' among oth- a career-high 27 points tion's best defense hardly top-ranked Cavaliers on
the only team to come er 'whys.' But to share the after starting the game 0 ever leaves someone that a stopover trip in Hawaii,
back from such a loss and same one, and to battle for 7 from the floor. Go- wide-open. only to get shocked by tiny,
win a championship the everything we battled ing mano-a-mano against "With a 3-point lead ... we're NAIA Chaminade. It still
very next season. Virginia through, and come out on another likely NBA-bound trying to play really sound goes down as one of the
did it the hard way, squan- top, it's a fantastic feeling." star, Jarrett Culver, Hunter defense with three ob- greatest upsets in sports.
dering a 10-point lead It's tempting to call Virginia saved the Cavaliers (35-3) jectives: No 3-point shots, Thirty years later, Bennett
against a tenacious Texas a team of destiny, but that with a game-tying 3 with no 'and-ones,' and we've turned the Cavaliers into
Tech team, only to pull would undermine what the 12 seconds left in regula- got to secure the defen- contenders again, but they
away for an 85-77 victory in Cavaliers accomplished tion, then helped them win sive rebounds," Texas Tech always underachieved
overtime. this season. It would give it with a go-ahead 3 with coach Chris Beard said. once the calendar turned
And now, there are no short shrift to the way they 2:07 left in the overtime. "We just came up a little to March.
more questions. overcame so many close Hunter's game-tying shot bit short, but give Virginia Then, last year.
"We've all had our own calls in this tournament, came on a play that Texas credit. They have a really, That loss to UMBC could've
battles," said Virginia guard including an entertain- Tech doesn't usually allow: really good team. So much wrecked a lesser program.
Kyle Guy, who was named ing, back-and-forth final Ty Jerome dribbled into poise, and just have a lot of Somehow, this one got
the Final Four's most valu- against an opponent that the middle, then skipped respect for them." stronger.
The poise showed up ear- Has the pain gone com-
lier in the tournament, too. pletely away?
First, when the Cavaliers, a "You have a scar, and it
1 seed again, fell behind by reminds you of that, but it's
14 early to No. 16 Gardner- a memory," Bennett said.
Webb in what seemed like "Does it go away complete-
a repeat of the nightmare ly? No. I wish it wouldn't
from the year before. They have happened in some
won 71-56. ways. But now I say, 'Well, it
Next, against Purdue, bought us a ticket here. So
when, trailing by 2, the Cav- be it.'"q