MINNEAPOLIS _ Through the confusing final moments of the Virginia-Auburn national semifinal game Saturday, the Cavaliers remained two points down with 0.6 seconds remaining and final result would rest with one person and his nerves.
Kyle Guy, fouled in the act of shooting a 3-pointer, needed to make at least two to extend the game.
He made three in a moment that could hardly be more pressure packed, giving Virginia a 63-62 victory and sending the Cavaliers to Monday's championship game against Texas Tech.
Add to the equation Guy has battled anxiety issues, which seemed to grow worse the more he achieved in the sport, describing the sense as "overwhelming feelings sadness, anxiety and failure."
Last year was the worst when the Cavaliers became the first No. 1 seed to fall to a No. 16, losing to UMBC. After the game, Guy went to the showers and cried. Later, he didn't take calls and didn't want to see people.
Then Guy decided to share the problems. He wrote down his feelings in letters to himself and posted them on Facebook.
"After last year, I had to take a lot of time to myself," Guy said. "That's when I wrote, just tried to do anything that was therapeutic for me so I could bounce back from it and be a stronger person."
In one letter, Guy talked about why he was reluctant to share his feelings.
"You've kept it a secret because you didn't want to be viewed as weak," Guy wrote. "You were worried people might think you aren't built for this. But now you need to realize, that even if they do think that, that's fine. They can think that. They weren't with you when you burst into tears in the middle of practice and you didn't know why. And despite that, you kept pushing."
A healthier Guy has been evident throughout the NCAA Tournament. In the opening game, top-seeded Virginia fell behind No. 16 seed Gardner-Webb. But unlike last season when a deficit to UMBC just grew deeper, the Cavaliers powered back.
"We were down 10 to Gardner-Webb, same position as last year, and we didn't panic," Guy said. "We just buckled down and tried to take care of business."
At one stretch, Guy, a 42.5 percent 3-point shooter, had missed 16 consecutive shots in the postseason. He didn't fret. Guy kept shooting.
Virginia coach Tony Bennett said the team's best approach to help was to assure Guy he could find comfort in his teammates and coaches.
"We're together in this journey," Bennett said. "That's the one thing you talk about, being able to go through the highs and lows together."
Against Auburn, Guy had buried his face in his jersey when his last-ditch 3-pointer missed but said he heard the whistle against Auburn's Samir Doughty, called for the foul.
"That was me focusing," Guy said. "I knew they had called a foul."
With more than 72,000 watching, Guy calmly made the first two, Tigers Coach Bruce Pearl called a timeout. The Virginia players gathered at their bench but Guy walked away.
"I just wanted to be in my own space," he said. "I knew they had confidence in me, but I needed to build up on my own. Those are the shots we practiced as kids."
Except that Guy's growth as a basketball player, a high school star in Indianapolis who was named Indiana's Mr. Basketball and a McDonald's All-America, carried the extra weight of anxiety.
But at the biggest moment of his career, Guy never seemed more prepared
"I think all my life led to this," Guy said. "Everything that I've done made it easier to hone in and try to knock down those free throws. I said that I was terrified. It was a good terrified, though, a good nervousness in my stomach, like, this is my chance."
Guy made the most of it.
