Just rewatched the Auburn game, and our collapse at the end left a bad taste in my mouth. I think I’ll be a contrarian here.
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Love it! That was the one game I let myself get a tad bit comfortable late in the game. Boy did I pay for that 
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Unranked to start 2018 and lost 3 games all year. Amazing really and another reason polls are becoming more and more irrelevant to seasons
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Fully agree
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Now we’ve got the 2016 Sweet 16 vs Iowa State versus the 1984 Elite Eight vs Indiana.
In 2016, Virginia made its longest tournament run under Tony Bennett to date. Beating Hampton in the first round and Butler in the second, they tipped off against Iowa State in the Sweet 16. The Cavs got out to an early lead, and really never looked back, winning 84-71. Anthony Gill led the way with 23 points and 8 boards, while Mike Tobey scored 18 and brought in 7 rebounds of his own. The guards were phenomenal as well, as London Perrantes (9), Devon Hall (7), and Malcolm Brogdon (5) combined for 21 assists. The offense was clicking all night, and despite only making 4 threes, scored 84 points on 1.22 points per possession. Unfortunately, as we all, know, the 'Hoos would lose a heartbreaker to Syracuse in the Elite Eight, but this was a stepping stone for the program that would lead to a National Championship three years later.
In 1984, Virginia made its second Final Four run, and first without Ralph Sampson. In the Elite Eight, they met Indiana. Led by Jim Miller’s 19 points and Olden Polynice’s 12, the Cavs won 50-48. A massive stop won the game, as, with sixteen seconds left, Indiana rebounded a Kenton Edelin missed free throw and brought the ball down the court. Dan Dakich drove, but was swarmed by Virginia defenders, and was forced to move the ball to Stew Robinson, who missed the mid-range jump shot, Virginia secured the rebound, the game was over, and the 'Hoos were heading back to college basketball’s biggest stage.
- 2016 Sweet Sixteen vs Iowa State
- 1984 Elite Eight vs Indiana
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That Jimmy Miller foto is iconic. 50-48 vs Bob Knight wow
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Now we’ve got the 1976 ACC Championship vs UNC against the 1993 win over #3 Duke.
In 1976, 33 year old Head Coach Terry Holland was in his second year in Charlottesville, and the 'Hoos generally struggled in regular season play. Finishing 4-8 in ACC play, they entered the seven team ACC Tournament as the six seed. They knocked of #19 NC State in the first round, then beat the hosts of the tournament, #9 Maryland, to set up a contest with #2 UNC in the ACC Championship game. Behind Wally Walker’s 21 points and Billy Langloh’s five free throws in the final 30 seconds, the Cavs came out on top 67-62, securing the program’s first ACC Title and first NCAA tournament bid. Walker was named ACC tournament MVP. That team would go on to lose to Depaul in the first round of the NCAA tournament. While they had little success in the NCAA tournament, this was the program’s biggest win yet and set the stage for the program’s rise in the late 20th century and the establishment of a history of success.
In 1993, Virginia actually swept Duke, including the last win in Durham in 25 years against a Coach K coached Duke team (Coach K missed the majority of the 1995 season, including Virginia’s win in Durham). The '93 team was led by second years Cory Alexander and Junior Burrough, while upperclassmen Cornell Parker, Ted Jeffries, and @DFresh11 provided a veteran presence and secondary scoring. They came out on top of the Blue Devils 77-69, and would go on to the Sweet Sixteen after upsetting #14 Massachusetts, before then losing to #7 Cincinnati in the Sweet 16.
- 1976 ACC Championship vs UNC
- 1993 @ #3 Duke
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Next up is the 2014 ACC Championship vs Duke against the 1981 Sweet Sixteen vs Tennessee
Virginia’s first ACC Tournament Championship since the bicentennial was as sweet as it could be. Malcolm Brogdon scored twenty-three against the Blue Devils, and Joe Harris added fifteen to lead the ‘Hoos on offense. Defensively, Akil Mitchell put in the defensive performance of a lifetime against Duke star freshman Jabari Parker. Mitchell’s relentless attention forced Parker to settle time and time again. While Parker would score twenty-three points, he shot an ugly 9-24 from the field, good for just 37.5%, and the Cavs came out victorious 72-63. More than anything, this win announced Virginia’s re-emergence at the top tier of college basketball.
In 1981, Virginia rose to national prominence, finishing 13-1 in the ACC and only losing twice in regular season play. After losing in the conference semifinals, they entered the NCAA tournament as a #1 seed, and earned a first round bye. In their first contest, they beat Villanova 54-50. Following that victory, they met a Tennessee team led by future NBA All Star Dale Ellis. Ralph Sampson had a poor outing, finishing with only 9 points on 4-13 shooting. But after a close first half score of 27-26, Jeff Lamp got it going in the second and finished with 18 points as the Cavs extended their lead to 14 and won 62-48 and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. They’d go on to win that game against BYU, but would fall to UNC in the Final Four.
- 2014 ACC Championship vs Duke
- 1981 Sweet Sixteen vs Tennessee
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Full ACC Championship vs Duke:
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And if you didn’t see it before, an article covering the '81 team’s run:
The coverage of games you guys are doing in terms of recaps etc is really good. Takes you back through TB’s teams’ games and educates on the older classics. Takes a lotta work to do that and appreciated by everyone am sure
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Thanks, appreciate it! I know I’m a little short on details for a few games, but it’s been a ton of fun going back through the years to find info and content.
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Only one was Duke game at Cameron 93. Otherwise we good yo! hahaha
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yessir
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So that was the last poll of the Sweet Sixteen. All Sweet Sixteen polls will close tomorrow at 1pm. If you haven’t yet, make sure to vote on the matchup between the 1981 Elite Eight vs BYU, and the 1995 Sweet Sixteen vs Kansas. As of now, they’re only separated by one vote. We’ll likely be posting the updated bracket tomorrow evening, and then we’ll jump into those contests.
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This is a seriously great thread with all these awesome video summaries! Thanks!
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Alright so we’re on to the Elite Eight!
Full bracket:
By region:
Voting will either start later tonight, or tomorrow afternoon.
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In our first Elite 8 matchup we’ve got the 2014 contest vs #4 Syracuse against the 2019 National Championship.
In 2014, the renaissance of Virginia basketball came to be, as the team rattled off thirteen straight wins, culminating in this title clinching drubbing of Syracuse on March 1st, 2014. Winning 75-56, the Cavs broke away in the second half of the game, and on senior night, got every last man on the roster playing time. In front of an electric JPJ crowd, fourth year walk-on Thomas Rogers even nailed a three in the waning minutes. Overall, Malcolm Brogdon led the 'Hoos with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and five assists, while Mike Tobey, Akil Mitchell, and Justin Anderson all registered double digit points as well. First year point guard London Perrantes picked apart the Syracuse zone, dishing out seven assists and nailing two long balls. The atmosphere was phenomenal, and the 'Hoos came away with their biggest win in years, only to be topped a few weeks later in the ACC Tournament where the 'Hoos would reign supreme, before dropping out of the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16. Nonetheless, this team started what has been a phenomenal seven year run, and what looks to be the new normal for UVA basketball.
I’m certain we all have fairly good memories of the National Championship game, so I’ll just mention that the final score was 85-77, Deandre Hunter led the way for the 'Hoos with 27 points and 9 rebounds, and that he canned both the game tying shot to send the game to overtime with 12 seconds in regulation, and the go ahead three-pointer with roughly two minutes remaining in overtime. Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome both hit double figures as well, scoring 24 and 16 points, respectively, as Jerome also tallied eight assists. This was the program’s first National Championship (of hopefully many), and could not have come in more dramatic fashion.
- 2014 vs #4 Syracuse
- 2019 National Championship vs Texas Tech
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Ha. Next
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