The Virginia Cavaliers fell to the Duke Blue Devils 74-70 in the ACC Tournament championship game on Saturday night in an absolutely heartbreaking loss.
After missing a show in Durham on Feb. 28, the Hoos looked like a completely different team in their second-round matchup against the Blue Devils, using the momentum from Friday night’s 22-point semifinal victory over Miami to push the nation’s top-ranked team down the stretch.
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However, overtaking a team like Duke, who will likely be the top seed in the NCAA tournament, requires a well-rounded performance, and a series of costly mistakes in the final game of a thrilling ACC tournament at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina doomed Virginia.
For Wahoo fans, this incident may take a minute to forget, but for now, here are three takeaways from this nerve-wracking night:
Little things make all the difference
Thijs De Ridder tied the score at 66 on a free throw with 3:10 left in the second half. The Hoos were primed to beat the ACC regular season champions, but thanks to some costly mistakes, this would be the closest Virginia came to a win.
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Isaiah Evans missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing Blue Devils possession, but UVA was unable to defend Cayden Boozer (who finished with 16 points and five rebounds) for an easy offensive rebound and put-in layup.
Virginia had chances to tie the game back or take the lead on the next possession, but they couldn’t get anything going and Darin Hall seemed to lose track of time as the game clock ticked away. Hall passed a grenade pass to Sam Lewis, who missed a desperation three-pointer that resulted in a shot-clock violation.
On the other side of the court, Virginia’s mistakes continued to mount. Dredd caused an unnecessary off-ball foul on Evans, who made two free throws to give Duke a 4-point lead with 1:59 left in the game.
After Ugonna Onyenso’s layup cut the deficit to two points, Cameron Boozer opened the door for Virginia by missing two free throws with 1:15 left. However, when Malik Thomas had a chance to tie the game, he missed a free throw in the frontcourt during a one-on-one, all but sealing the Cavaliers’ fate.
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A late turnover, after another offensive rebound by Duke, saw the ‘Hoos waste precious seconds before fouling Evans with 12 seconds left, officially ending Virginia’s chances.
The Hoos fought hard and deserve a huge amount of credit for giving Duke their best chance. But when it mattered most, Virginia couldn’t quite do what was necessary to handle the knockout. Ultimately, a few forgettable outs, a missed free throw and a few wasted seconds made the difference between a signature victory and a painful defeat.
Ugonna Oyenso is the best player on the pitch
Cameron Boozer was the ACC Player of the Year and was named ACC Tournament MVP after Duke’s win, but he wasn’t the best player on the court Saturday night. That would be Virginia center Uguna Oyanso.
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The 7-footer from Owerri, Nigeria, scored six points (2-for-4 from the field), grabbed eight rebounds and set an ACC Championship Game record Nine Hold off the Blue Devils. Oyenso had already set the ACC Tournament record for total blocks before Saturday night’s game, but he ended his week with 21 saves after another incredible defensive effort.
Oyenso’s impact on the defensive end is truly special. The Virginia big man is tasked with guarding Cam Boozer, a projected top-three pick in the upcoming NBA draft and a front-runner for National Player of the Year honors this season.
Boozer made just 3 of 17 shots from the field, and Oyenso forced the Duke star to make countless uncomfortable looks and denied his shots at the basket. With Caleb Foster out for the foreseeable future, Boozer becomes the Blue Devils’ de facto point guard. But even though most of Boozer’s offense started at the top of the key, Oyenso was still able to stay away from the basket, stop him, and nearly stop him.
Oyenso’s night capped off a week in Charlotte that earned him a first-team All-Star Game nod. Looking ahead, Virginia appears to have fully unleashed one of the nation’s most versatile defensive weapons in the NCAA Tournament.
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Entering March Madness
This one stings, there’s no doubt about it. Virginia was three minutes away from avenging a humiliating loss in Durham, beating the Blue Devils in front of a Duke-dominated Charlotte crowd and winning its fourth ACC tournament title in program history. Instead, the Hoos undeniably took their biggest hit of the season.
But Virginia couldn’t let this be a demoralizing defeat. Despite the loss, the Hoos played some of their best basketball of the season over the past three days. If Virginia can play these past few games well, the Hoos certainly have the ability to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Don’t forget, UVA is ranked No. 13 in Kenpom play and No. 12 in the NET (as of late Saturday night), has a 17-4 record in Quads 1 and 2, and added two more wins to its resume this week against projected tournament teams.
The ‘Hoos will determine their seeding in Sunday night’s selection show, which airs on CBS at 5 p.m. ET.
