For the first time since 1995, Virginia won an NCAA Tournament game. This afternoon, Virginia routed Albany 84-57 in a game that wasn't a game at any point. The Cavs jumped out to a 21-4 lead, rolled to a 45-25 halftime advantage and cruised to victory after stretching the advantage to 64-32 with about 10 minutes left. Congratulations to Dave Leitao and his players. Note to Pete Gillen: see what defense can do?
After giving top-seeded, top-ranked UConn fits last year in a 72-59 loss, Albany was a trend pick as a potential upset special; especially because Virginia is riotously overseeded at a #4 spot. But the Cavs treated Columbus, Ohio as if it were their home court, the JPJ (the John Paul Jones Arena, not this JPJ, nor this one, but this one), where they lost only once all year (to Stanford, by a point) and throttled Gonzaga and Maryland.
Leitao's team overachieved because it could both push the ball on offense and defend. Now the Cavs may finally have a future after the scandals of the Jones Era and the matador defense during the Gillen years.
Go Cavs.
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