Kyle Guy heroics are nothing new for Virginia basketball fans

Foul or no foul, double-dribble or no double-dribble. Virginia made it count when they needed it most, and now they’re headed to the title game.

I’m probably going to continue to beat what Tony Bennett told his team after losing to UMBC last season like a dead horse, but then again if I didn’t then it wouldn’t have meant so much.

A year is a long time to have a bad taste in your mouth, but that’s what Virginia had to deal with. Bennett told his squad after becoming the first one seed to lose to a 16-seed that they had to own it, and it was a part of their legacy.

Talk about owning it. Virginia has needed every single point from the Sweet 16 and beyond to get to this point, and after Ty Jerome committed a silly fourth foul late in the second half with a 10 point lead things started to look bleak for the Cavaliers.

With Jerome on the bench, Virginia blew their lead and trailed by two with just over a second left to play. They’d been in that spot before though. They trailed Purdue by two with five seconds left before tying that game and sending it to overtime.

Trailing by four points with 17 seconds left to go Guy nailed a three to cut the deficit to one with nine seconds left. After Auburn’s Jared Harper only hit one of two free throws, Kyle Guy was later fouled on a three-point attempt that’s a foul 100 times out of 100 and proceeded to knock down all three free throws to send the Cavaliers to the title game.

After the game Guy had the best post-game quote you could ask for. “I was terrified, but I had confidence in myself”.

Let’s be serious here, less than a second on the clock with three shots to win the game and two to send it to overtime. His heart had to have been beating through his chest. But it’s Kyle Guy, he’s one of the most prolific shooters in the country, and was on the team that lost in the first round last season. Other than maybe Ty Jerome is there anybody you’d rather have at the free throw line than Guy?

Standing at the line, his heart pounding and a chance at the ultimate redemption over a year in the making. They were supposed to be here last season, and that bad taste stayed in their mouth all off-season, and probably through the first half of their first round game this season.

Guy is set to get married this offseason and I’m sure a National Championship would be the best wedding gift he could ask for. Virginia’s redemption tour isn’t yet, they’ll face their toughest defensive matchup to date in Texas Tech on Monday. There is no more survive and advance, this is for all the marbles and Guy will be ready.