Cavaliers Now

Recounting Virginia Basketball's 2019 National Championship Run

Aidan Baller

Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY
In this story:

It's March, brackets are out, and Virginia is not one of the 68 teams in the field as the Cavaliers suffered their first losing season since 2009-10. With Ron Sanchez not being retained, Virginia will turn a new page with a new coach who will likely be announced this month, ending the historic Tony Bennett era of UVA men's basketball. Take a trip down memory lane at Virginia's legendary and improbable 2019 National Championship-winning tournament run. 

After an Early Scare, No. 1 Virginia Storms Past No. 16 Gardner-Webb 

The Bulldogs caught the Cavaliers off guard as they raced out to an early 30-16 lead, spelling the question would lightning strike twice after Virginia became the first team to lose to a sixteen seed the previous year in a 74-54 loss to UMBC. 

In response to the 14-point deficit, Kyle Guy drilled a three, awakening the sleeping giant that was the 2019 Virginia basketball team. The three sparked an 8-0 run, propelling the Cavaliers back into the game as the Hoos were able to cut the lead to six heading into the locker room. 

In the postgame press conference, Bennett recalls telling his players, "Don't panic but play with fight." 

For a closer look at this game: A Tony Bennett Moment: Virginia Wills Itself Past Gardner-Webb

Out of the halftime break, the Cavaliers stormed out of the locker room with a 14-2 run, which included seven points from De'Andre Hunter. This run quickly grew into a 22-5 run as the Cavaliers secured their spot in the round of 32, anchored by 23 points from Hunter and 17 from Mamadi Diakite, with Virginia defeating Gardner-Webb 71-56. 

No. 1 Virginia Cruises Past No. 9 Oklahoma 

Opposite to the first round, Virginia came out hungry, racing out to a 7-0 lead. In response, the Sooners fired back to snatch a 13-9 lead to establish themselves as a contender for the Cavaliers. Then, similar to the first round, the Hoos erupted with a Cavalanche, going on an 18-2 run that propelled Virginia into a comfortable lead. 

Rolling into the second half, Virginia maintained a comfortable advantage to secure a 63-51 win over Oklahoma to punch UVA's ticket to the Sweet 16. 

Defensive Grit Lifts No. 1 Virginia Over No. 12 Oregon

In the first half, it was all business for the Cavaliers as they grabbed a 30-22 lead at the break, looking to earn a comfortable win, but the Ducks had other plans. To start the second half, Oregon raced out to a 5-0 run, quickly bringing themselves in striking distance of an upset over the No. 1 seeded Virginia Cavaliers. 

Veteran leaders Kyle Guy and De'Andre Hunter responded with five points of their own, but the Ducks, led by Payton Pritchard and Paul White, refused to back down as a 7-0 run cut the Virginia lead to one. 

Minutes later, Louis King drilled a three for Oregon, giving the Ducks a 42-40 lead with 8:32 remaining. Jerome responded, but King answered with another three. In need of a spark, Kihei Clark rose to the occasion with a massive three to tie the game at 45. 

Then, Clark found Jerome for a dagger three with 3:33 remaining to steal the lead back for the Hoos as Virginia's Pack Line defense held Oregon scoreless for the next two minutes. With 27 seconds remaining, Guy found Hunter near the basket, giving Virginia a five-point lead to secure a 53-49 victory over Oregon. 

Mamadi Diakite Buzzer Beater Allows No. 1 Virginia to Sneak Past No. 3 Purdue in Overtime 

With a ticket to the Final Four on the line, this game was one for the ages. The Boilermakers led 30-29 at the end of the first half. Out of the locker room, both teams were red hot in the second half, with Kyle Guy knocking down three threes to set the tone and give Virginia a 41-34 lead. Then, Carsen Edwards came alive on the other end with three threes of his own, but despite his efforts, Virginia maintained the lead throughout the second half, leading 63-57 with 5:52 remaining. 

Edwards, giving everything for his school, led an 11-4 run where he scored eight points to provide Purdue with a 70-67 lead with 17 seconds remaining. With five seconds remaining, Ty Jerome was sent to the line, making the first of his two shots. 

Stepping up for the second one, Jerome missed it short, leading Mamadi Diakite to tip it out to halfcourt. Kihei Clark sprinted after the ball, obtaining possession with three seconds remaining. Despite his youth, Clark showed calmness in the moment, looking off multiple teammates before hurling the ball down the court to Diakite, who caught it in his shooting stance to quickly get it off before the buzzer, tying the game at 70. 

Taking advantage of the miraculous buzzer-beater, Virginia dominated the overtime period as the Cavaliers secured an 80-75 overtime victory to advance to the final four for the first time since 1984. Virginia fended off a historic 42-point performance from Carsen Edwards as Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome combined for 49 points. 

No. 1 Virginia Shocks No. 5 Auburn in Final Moments to Advance to the National Championship

Two games away from a National Championship, Virginia stepped onto the floor at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to face off against an Auburn team who had defeated No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Kentucky in the Midwest Region of the bracket to advance to the Final Four. In this contest, both teams came to play, with the game staying close until the Cavaliers smelled blood with an 11-4 run late in the second half led by eight points from Ty Jerome to give Virginia a 57-47 lead with 5:24 remaining. 

Refusing to back down, Auburn locked in defensively, sending Virginia into a scoring drought as the Tigers rattled off 12 straight points to lead 59-57 with 1:57 remaining. 

In response, Jerome tried twice from three-point land but came up short on both, forcing Virginia to send Auburn to the line with 17 seconds remaining. 

At the line, Anfernee McLemore drilled both free throws to give the Tigers a 61-57 lead, but the Cavs refused to back down, with Jerome finding Kyle Guy in the corner, who drilled a three with nine seconds remaining. Virginia then fouled Auburn's Jared Harper, who made one of his two, giving Virginia the ball back down two with two seconds remaining after the Cavs advanced the ball up the court. 

Out of the timeout, Jerome found Guy in the corner who put up the three. The three fell short as the crowd erupted before everyone realized Guy was fouled and would shoot three free throws for the win. 

Calm and composed, Guy stepped to the line, hitting the first two before an Auburn timeout, which gave him time to think about the game-winning shot. Out of the break, just like the last two, Guy knocked it down, giving Virginia a 63-62 victory to send the Cavaliers to the 2019 National Championship game. 

No. 1 Virginia Earns Overtime Victory over No. 3 Texas Tech to Claim First National Championship

All roads end here, one game, for all the glory. 

After leading 32-29 out of the half, the Cavaliers opened the half with an 8-2 run, allowing Virginia to hold a steady lead over the Red Raiders throughout much of the second half. Then, with 5:32 remaining, Texas Tech proved why they were still standing with a 13-6 run to make it 65-64 with 1:31 left. 

Jarrett Culver scored on a layup before Norense Odiase knocked down two free throws to give the Red Raiders a three-point lead with 22 seconds left as the team from Lubbock, Texas, could taste victory. 

In desperate need of an answer, Jerome drove down the lane before whipping a pass to Hunter in the corner, who calmly buried the game-tying three with 12 seconds left before a Braxton Key defensive block sent the game to overtime. 

Riding the momentum, Hunter scored five of Virginia's first seven points in overtime as the Cavaliers quickly established a lead over Texas Tech. On the other side of the ball, the Virginia defense became relentless, not giving an inch. 

Virginia knocked down multiple free throws until on an inbound Ty Jerome rocketed it down the court to Key, who slammed home an emphatic dunk with 14 seconds remaining, solidifying Virginia's first National Championship. 

Virginia was on top 85-77 over Texas Tech as the buzzer hit zero, and a sea of confetti and Cavalier players filled the court in celebration. Tony Bennett and his iconic group of players, which included Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, De'Andre Hunter, Mamadi Diakite, Jack Salt, Kihei Clark, Braxton Key, and Jay Huff, had brought Virginia men's basketball to the illustrious top step of college basketball.

The iconic run will be one that Virginia fans and the city of Charlottesville will never forget as Bennett solidified his legacy as one of the best college basketball coaches on and off the court.

As the Tony Bennett era draws to a close check out our Tony Bennett moment series down below recounting a few of his most famous games.

Stories in Our Series on Tony Bennett's Best Moments at Virginia

A Tony Bennett Moment: Grant Kersey Makes Basketball Fun Again

A Tony Bennett Moment: Hunter Stuns Louisville at the Buzzer in 2018

A Tony Bennett Moment: Beekman Takes Down Duke at the Buzzer in Cameron

A Tony Bennett Moment: Virginia Wills Itself Past Gardner-Webb

A Tony Bennett Moment: Reece Beekman's Buzzer Beater vs Syracuse

A Tony Bennett Moment: Virginia Captures the Main Event Title in Las Vegas

Published
Aidan Baller
AIDAN BALLER

Aidan has been writing for Virginia Cavaliers On SI since January of 2023 and covers UVA football, basketball, men's soccer, and men's lacrosse. He is from New York and is currently in his fourth year at the University of Virginia, enrolled in the M.S. in Accounting program.