Mamadi Diakite might be our newest March Madness hero. Diakite hit an unbelievable buzzer-beater to send his Virginia team’s Elite Eight game against Purdue to overtime.
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That shot tied the game at 70, as Diakite got it off with roughly 0.2 seconds on the clock. The Cavaliers needed to be rescued after Purdue’s Carsen Edwards dropped a ridiculous 42 points with 10 3-pointers.
Diakite finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and four huge blocks. The 6’9″ junior was big all night long.
The Cavaliers then were able to make the necessary plays in overtime to out-score the Boilermakers eight to five in overtime.
It’s Virginia’s first trip to the Final Four since 1984.
It’s quite the turnaround for Tony Bennett’s team, who were in agony just a year ago. During the opening round of the 2018 tournament, Virginia became the first 1-seed to lose to a 16-seed. It was a crushing moment for the program.
The Cavaliers have answered all their doubters this year, and their big comeback Saturday night is all thanks to Diakite’s amazing shot.
