But perhaps that loss, as bitter as it was, made Saturday’s win against Purdue that much sweeter. With the 80-75 win over 3-seed Purdue, the Cavs — again, a 1-seed — secured their first Final Fourth berth since 1984. And who better to congratulate UVA than the team that made history off them?
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It’s poetic justice that Virginia make it this far in the tournament after the historic, heartbreaking loss last year. It undoubtedly was a cathartic victory for coach Tony Bennett, who finally secured his first trip to the Final Four in nine tries. That it featured a magnificent duel between Kyle Guy and Purdue’s Carsen Edwards only increased the entertainment value — not to mention the incredible buzzer-beating shot from Mamadi Diakite to send it to overtime.
All told, it was a pretty good evening for Virginia hoops … and a pretty solid night for UMBC’s social team, too.
