Honestly, if the Virginia Cavaliers’ story was a piece of fiction, we’d probably call it a terrible book or movie and criticizing it for being absurdly clichéd and predictable.
But after a spectacular run in the 2019 NCAA tournament, they got their storybook ending, going from the first No. 1 seed to fall to a No. 16 seed last season to being this year’s national champions.
Virginia knocked off Texas Tech, 85-77, Monday in Minneapolis for the Charlottesville program’s first national championship in its third Final Four appearance — but first since 1984. The title concluded what many people viewed as an incredible redemption narrative.
And that includes junior guard Kyle Guy, who shared his perspective on how history will remember this story arc, which started with the Cavaliers’ surprise upset at the hands of UMBC in 2018.
“Man, that 30 for 30‘s gonna be a hell of a movie, I promise,” Guy told Andy Katz after the game, referencing ESPN’s sports documentary series.
Guy also said afterward:
“This whole team was so resilient, and, you know, 14-for-14 (on free throws) in overtime and, you know, we didn’t miss too many free throws the whole game. We made shots when it mattered. We got stops. I was a small part of this success, and I’m just happy to be a part of it. …
“We were rattled once in my career here, and that was that UMBC game. And we told ourselves, ‘Never again,’ and to be able to, you know, not erase that from history because I love it. I don’t wanna forget it. And that’s always going to be there. But we’re on the good side of history this time.”
Helping Virginia advance to the title game, Guy sank three straight free throws after being fouled in the final seconds of the Final Four matchup against Auburn. The third shot gave the Cavaliers the lead with 1.5 seconds left. After the game, Guy admitted he was terrified at the line, but no one would have ever known.
After a slow scoring start at the beginning of the tournament, he finished the Auburn game with 15 points and scored 24 against Texas Tech in the national championship game.
