Virginia prevailed 80-75 in overtime over Purdue on Saturday in what can only be described as an unbelievable Elite Eight game to reach its third overall Final Four and first since 1984. I hope you'll go check out my full recap on HoosPlace.com, where I attempted to do it justice. It was a tall task, given how much happened in the game and how it happened, and of course the fact that it was UVa that had me on the edge of my seat.
I think we should step back for a second and marvel again at the game-tying play at the end of regulation (What will the nickname of the play end up being?). That was a true freshman in Kihei Clark that had the wherewithal to not panic, not throw up a half-court shot, and to somehow realize
the right play was not to pass to Ty Jerome or Kyle Guy, both of whom were begging for the ball. And then Clark used one arm to absolutely rifle a bullet down into the lane to Mamadi Diakite. So first, think about everything that had to go right there. We have to figure at this point, had Clark shot the ball, or passed to Jerome or Guy, we aren't talking about our 'Hoos going to the Final Four.
I think we should step back for a second and marvel again at the game-tying play at the end of regulation (What will the nickname of the play end up being?). That was a true freshman in Kihei Clark that had the wherewithal to not panic, not throw up a half-court shot, and to somehow realize
 |
| Mamadi Diakite's shot has already gone down as one of the biggest in UVa history. And depending on what happens this weekend, it could end up being the biggest ever. |
But that wasn't it. No, no, no. Now, let's appreciate the fact that it was Diakite that had to catch this rocket disguised as a basketball pass and have the instinct to turn, not dribble, and then loft the shot over a 7-foot-3 giant, Matt Haarms. Keep in mind that Diakite is the Virginia player who is newest to the game of basketball. Soccer was his first love growing up in Guinea. To be sure, we've seen Diakite grow tremendously the past four years. Think about how he has looked at times, even this year, when not locked in and going through growing pains. For him to be able to instinctively make that shot is just, perfect.
Joy from pain
If there was ever a doubt about the lessons learned from last season's devastating loss to UMBC, about whether the team was able to use it to inspire its run to Minneapolis, Tony Bennett seemed to give a definitive answer after the game.
"I just know it was really hard to lose in the first round. It stung. It was, as I said, a painful gift. It was
so humbling," Bennett said. "But it drew me and drew our team closer. ... Again, the quote we use, and I guess I'm full of quotes, it was from that TED Talk I showed them at the beginning of the year. And the quote is this: 'If you learn to use it right, the adversity, it will buy you a ticket to a place you couldn't have gone any other way.'"
It even starts to make you wonder: Was this year possible without what happened last year? Yes, this team is talented and deep, and had a chance to reach the Final Four even if the 2017-18 team had made the Sweet 16 and lost, but perhaps Bennett, the staff, and the players needed to reach their lowest point to then improve in the best ways possible.
Sorrow on the doorstep
Were there moments when you thought Virginia had lost? There were two times I felt despair and knew it would take a miracle to win. The first one was when Edwards hit a banked-in 3 with 1:10 left
in regulation for Purdue to go up 69-67. Sure, there was plenty of time left, and I guess had UVa won after that it wouldn't have been a miracle, but that was one of those shots where I was thinking, "This just isn't our night."
"[Edwards] made me rip my play card in half, when he hit that shot off the glass," Bennett said.
Guy and Jerome both said in the postgame news conference had no reporter asked them about Edwards, they were going to bring it up for them.
"I told him after the game that I have a lot of respect for him, and he's a bad dude," Guy said. "He has
nothing to hang his head about. ... I never witnessed anything like that."
The other time I felt that despair sink in, and probably even more so in this case, was when Edwards actually missed a shot with 20 seconds left in regulation, but Grady Eifert grabbed the offensive board. Then, Purdue, up two already, basically just had to make free throws to close it out. Ryan Cline was at the line. He shot better than 80 percent at the line his junior and sophomore years, but this season, he was at 69 percent. And we all know what happened. He made the first. After the second attempt, a miss, and history, were made.
Quotable
Guy: "Most of the credit goes to the guys who aren't here anymore and to Jack's class. They did all the work and built the foundation. We were lucky enough to walk into a great program with the best coach in the country. To finally get the critics off [Coach Bennett's] back means a lot, and we're going to the Final Four."
Jerome: "Just the teams that were so close and showed you how difficult it is to get to the Final Four.... To be the team that gets [Coach Bennett] to the Final Four, I think that's what means the most, because he's believed in every single one of us. He has our best interest at heart, on and off the court. And he's a great person."
Bennett: "I was at peace, but there was a burning desire to get these guys and our program to a Final Four and hopefully beyond. The moments are good, but I remember, 19 years ago, I was sitting in the
back of a press conference. My father took his team to the Final Four, they beat Purdue. And I memorized his quote. ... It's stuck with me for that long. And they asked, 'Is this one of the greatest feelings that you've ever had, getting to the Final Four?' And he said this: 'From a feelings state, euphoria, yes it is. But it doesn't compare with faith, with kids, family, grandkids. Because I know what truly matters, it enables me to enjoy what seems to matter like this.'"
More musings
Joy from pain
If there was ever a doubt about the lessons learned from last season's devastating loss to UMBC, about whether the team was able to use it to inspire its run to Minneapolis, Tony Bennett seemed to give a definitive answer after the game.
"I just know it was really hard to lose in the first round. It stung. It was, as I said, a painful gift. It was
 |
| Kyle Guy, Mamadi Diakite, and Jack Salt celebrate Diakite's unlikely game-tying shot. |
It even starts to make you wonder: Was this year possible without what happened last year? Yes, this team is talented and deep, and had a chance to reach the Final Four even if the 2017-18 team had made the Sweet 16 and lost, but perhaps Bennett, the staff, and the players needed to reach their lowest point to then improve in the best ways possible.
Sorrow on the doorstep
Were there moments when you thought Virginia had lost? There were two times I felt despair and knew it would take a miracle to win. The first one was when Edwards hit a banked-in 3 with 1:10 left
"[Edwards] made me rip my play card in half, when he hit that shot off the glass," Bennett said.
Guy and Jerome both said in the postgame news conference had no reporter asked them about Edwards, they were going to bring it up for them.
"I told him after the game that I have a lot of respect for him, and he's a bad dude," Guy said. "He has
 |
| Tony Bennett let his emotions show more than he normally does after Saturday's win. |
The other time I felt that despair sink in, and probably even more so in this case, was when Edwards actually missed a shot with 20 seconds left in regulation, but Grady Eifert grabbed the offensive board. Then, Purdue, up two already, basically just had to make free throws to close it out. Ryan Cline was at the line. He shot better than 80 percent at the line his junior and sophomore years, but this season, he was at 69 percent. And we all know what happened. He made the first. After the second attempt, a miss, and history, were made.
Quotable
Guy: "Most of the credit goes to the guys who aren't here anymore and to Jack's class. They did all the work and built the foundation. We were lucky enough to walk into a great program with the best coach in the country. To finally get the critics off [Coach Bennett's] back means a lot, and we're going to the Final Four."
Jerome: "Just the teams that were so close and showed you how difficult it is to get to the Final Four.... To be the team that gets [Coach Bennett] to the Final Four, I think that's what means the most, because he's believed in every single one of us. He has our best interest at heart, on and off the court. And he's a great person."
Bennett: "I was at peace, but there was a burning desire to get these guys and our program to a Final Four and hopefully beyond. The moments are good, but I remember, 19 years ago, I was sitting in the
 |
| The regional championship trophy -- some new hardware for the Tony Bennett era of Virginia basketball. |
More musings
- It's hard not to just sit back and admire the incredible symmetries of the situation. A year after Virginia fell in the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history, it's going to the Final Four -- as the only No. 1 seed left, at that. It's the best story of the tournament. More irony: The teamoften branded as the least exciting in the sport just won the most exciting game of the Big Dance. Virginia was also the only team to score 80 points this weekend. It took overtime, but still, you can't make that kind of stuff up. Also, Tony Bennett's dad, Dick, was in attendance. He reached his only Final Four in 2000 with Wisconsin. The opponent? Purdue.
- Does anyone have any good stories about watching the game or what you did or said (or screamed) when Diakite hit the shot? Did anyone else think we had won the game when the shot went in? I did for a split second. I was watching the game at my friend JP Stroman's house, and we were hugging each other and screaming and jumping up and down, and then I realized we still had overtime to go. I may have just had a JR Smith moment, but in my defense, if you go back and watch again, you'll notice the play-by-play announcer did say, "For the win....!" So I think some confusion was justified, and I may have subtly heard him say that, and in the moment, it translated to me thinking we had just won the game for a second.
- I'm not sure how I had a voice Sunday. I was yelling "BUTTS DOWN, HANDS UP!" almost every time UVa made a basket in the second half. My high school basketball coaches would'vebeen proud. But of course, it didn't really help against Carsen Edwards' magnificent performance. He made 30-footers over outstretched arms. If a Virginia player gave him an inch, he took the shot. And even when a player didn't give him an inch, he took a shot. I just had to keep tipping my hat to him. But it was going to make me question the basketball gods and leave me asking, "Why?" had we lost. The team known for defense was basically getting beat by one guy. Virginia has played teams in the past that have had players score more than half their points, but UVa usually wins those games 70-55 -- not go to overtime tied at 70.
- Most of the time, I feel like I have a lot to say about games, win or lose. And while I was excited, there was a profound sense of being at a loss for words after the victory. I was literally laying on the floor, exhausted and joyful, and in some sort of shock.
- Funny moment: At one point late in overtime, when Virginia had it all but wrapped up, my superstitious side got the best of me. JP's boss had been texting him some about the game, and then when he got a text almost at the end, I said something like, "Don't even look at that. I know what it says!" I was thinking he had said congratulations when the game was not quite over. I was not going to let JP's boss jinx this victory. I went lunging for the phone as sort of a joke and tripped over a leg of the coffee table, face-planting into the sofa. An embarrassing moment revealed, but now just a humorous sidenote since we won.
Comments
Post a Comment