Local Newspapers Celebrate Virginia's First National Championship Win
One year after a historic first-round loss at the hands of UMBC, Virginia took down Texas Tech in Minneapolis to cap off their 2019 redemption run with the program's first national title in history with an 85–77 victory on Monday night in an overtime thriller.
De'Andre Hunter scored a career-high 27 in the win while Kyle Guy—the face of last year's loss and the team's 2019 Final Four hero—added 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including four three, and starting point guard Ty Jerome poured in 16 points to go with nine assists and eight rebounds in the win.
All three were on the floor for Virginia during last year's loss. Local papers celebrated how Charlottesville's heroes avenged the upset and turned infamy into fuel–enough for a championship.
The Washington Post's front page for Tuesday reads "'Hoos laughing now."
Newsday also played into Virginia's redemption narrative with their headline.
The Daily Progress kept it simple with "National Champions!"
The Richmond Times-Dispatch's front page reads "CHAMPS!" as their sports section went with "Glory for UVA."