Virginia’s NCAA Tournament redemption is one of the greatest comebacks in sports

Virginia’s road to redemption was a long one after losing to UMBC last year, but it was worth the trip as they won their first national championship.

Virginia’s road to redemption led them to their first national championship.

For Virginia and their fans, it has been a roller coaster full of emotions the last two NCAA Tournaments. In 2018 they became the first No.1 seed ever to lose to a No.16 seed in the tournament. What made the loss worse was how they got completely blown out by what was supposed to be an inferior opponent.

Now they have finally redeemed themselves and given themselves and their fans the best story ever by winning their first National Championship game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. It was a very hard-fought game by both teams. Many thought this was going to be boring and ugly.

Both teams came into this game allowing around 55 points per game. What this game turned out to be was one of the best and only the eighth National Championship overtime game in tournament history. The big three of Virginia came alive in their biggest win in school history. Kyle Guy, Ty Gerome and De’Andre Hunter put on a clinic when it mattered most.

De’Andre Hunter led the charge with 27 points, seven rebounds and one assist. 12 of those points were from beyond the arch. To say he bolstered his NBA stock would be an understatement. He came up huge with a three-pointer to push the game into overtime. Then hit the crucial game-sealing free throws to ice it for the Cavaliers.

Ty Gerome also had himself a game with 16 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Gerome proved his leadership abilities by facilitating the ball all game long. He came in clutch when needed and provided that never say die attitude for his team all game long. His versatility proved to be one of many factors that led the Cavaliers to their first ever National Championship.

Kyle Guy was exactly as advertised. He too came up clutch in the biggest game of his life with 24 points and three rebounds. Guy hit several big-time three-pointers to keep his team ahead of the charging Red Raiders. Everyone watching could tell Guy wanted this win for not only himself but for the whole state of Virginia. Especially after last year’s horrific meltdown. Virginia’s big three came through when it mattered the most.

This win will forever hold true in the hearts of every Virginia fan until they die. To say that last year’s loss is all forgiven by one amazing tournament run would be correct. Congratulations to the Virginia Cavaliers and all of their fans. What an amazing run they had in 2019. This game will forever be etched into March Madness history and one of the best turnarounds in recent sports history.