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Virginia went out in the worst of ways.
Sure, there are always surprise stories in the NCAA Tournament. Thursday’s first round was mind-blowing.
Princeton had the biggest upset, a No. 15 seed beating a 2 seed for the 11th time in 40-year modern history of the Big Dance, the Ivy League Tigers shocked Arizona, which is headed home after an otherwise great season.
But even more surprising than Princeton was fourth-seeded Virginia’s last-second loss to No. 13 Furman, which adds to the dismal post-season record of a school that won the national championship as recently as 2019. And the way the Cavaliers lost to the Paladins added more ridicule to their resume.
Tony Bennett has become a superstar coach in the ACC, but the Wahoos have now suffered two of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament.
Their title in 2019, with six close wins, rescued Virginia from the prior year’s most embarrassing loss in NCAA history. Bennett’s top-seeded team in the South region lost to 16-seed Maryland, Baltimore County, the first and only time that has ever happened. Now, the loss to resilient Furman of the Southern Conference adds to a regrettable post-season record that includes upset losses as very high seeds.
Top-seed Virginia lost to No. 10 Syracuse in a 2016 regional final, clearing the way for Carolina to beat the ‘Cuse at the Final Four in Houston.
The Cavs also had two NCAA tournament upsets at the hands of Michigan State, once as a No. 2 seed in the second round and the other in the Sweet Sixteen as a No. 1 seed.
So, when they keep the score close and then don’t close out games, it becomes headline news. This may not be the saddest story in Wahoos hoops history, but it is close, especially the way it went down.
Fifth-year senior point guard Kihei Clark was one of the heroes of the national championship team as a freshman, when he assisted on the winning basket in the regional final that was called one of the smartest last-second passes ever thrown.
This time, Clark was double-teamed by Furman and, for some reason, instead of calling UVa’s last timeout heaved a long pass into the backcourt. It was intercepted and the Paladins hit the winning 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left.
Bennett looked morose when the game his team had led most of the way ended in despair. That is a hallmark of March Madness, but this one seemed particularly cruel. Furman hung in there but did not deserve to win on Clark’s error.
For the undersized Clark, it was his last act before having to take off the Virginia uniform forever. And it will be one he has to live with among all of his much better basketball memories.
Featured image via Associated Press
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