 lead to six at halftime. Virginia (30-3) then opened the second half with a 25-5 run that ended any ideas of another 1-and-done.The Cavaliers used their trademark stifling defense to force 11 Gardner-Webb turnovers in the first 12 minutes after the break.De'Andre Hunter, who missed last year's upset after breaking his wrist In the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, led the Cavaliers with 23 points, including a layup and free throw after he was fouled that put Virginia up for good. Mamadi Diakite added 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting and nine rebounds.Virginia coach Tony Bennett responded to last year's loss by showing his team a motivational video about how a bad situation can be turned into an opportunity for growth. He encouraged his team to talk about happened and answer the questions that came at nearly every news conference.Jose Perez scored 19 points and made 4 of 6 from behind the arc for Gardner-Webb, which was playing in its first NCAA Tournament. David Efianayi added 12 points.BIG PICTUREGardner-Webb: Not many No. 16 seeds can claim a double-digit lead over a No. 1 seed. The Runnin' Bulldogs may have fallen short, but had an amazing season by any measurement, winning their first Big South Conference title and NCAA bid by beating the top two seeds in the league on the road and knocking off Wake Forest and Georgia Tech on the road.Virginia: Being down 14 to a No. 16 seed isn't going to make anyone feel more comfortable about Virginia's chances to finally make a Final Four under Bennett. But Virginia's ability to not wilt under all that pressure is a credit to Bennett's work on his team's psyche over the past year.UP NEXT:Gardner-Webb: The season is over.Virginia: The Cavaliers face No. 9 seed Oklahoma in Sunday's second round, which has been a land mine for Virginia too. Back in 2017, the 5th seeded Cavaliers lost 65-39 to No. 4 Florida.---More college basketball: https://apnews.com/MarchMadness and https://twitter.com/-Top25)
Mar 19, 2019Over a year removed from being the first No. 1 seed ever to be upset by a 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Virginia is back dancing -- as a top seed once again.For the fourth time in the last six seasons and the seventh time in school history, the Cavaliers are a No. 1 seed in the "Big Dance" and will face South Region No. 16 seed Gardner-Webb on Friday in the opening round at Columbia, S. C."Everyone can play in this tournament. To be a No. 1 seed means it's been a heck of a season," Virginia head coach Tony Bennett said after leading the Cavaliers to their sixth straight tournament appearance. "It doesn't guarantee anything, as we know." Joining Virginia (29-3), Duke and North Carolina also earned No. 1 seeds, as the Atlantic Coast Conference became the first conference since the Big East in 2009 to earn three top seeds.Gardner-Webb (23-11) upset Radford in last week's Big South tournament title game to earn the first NCAA Tournament berth in school history after fully joining the ranks of Division I teams back in 2002. Despite a lack of tournament experience, the Bulldogs make up for it with a veteran-laden crew."Scary, scary," Gardner-Webb head coach Tim Craft said about playing one of the nation's best teams. "But I will say, we're kind of used to being the underdog here, and we were picked sixth in our league and then won our league." The Bulldogs have won five games in a row and eight of their last nine, helping erase memories of an 0-3 start. One of those losses was to Virginia's rival, Virginia Tech, but Gardner-Webb beat the other two ACC teams it faced this season, knocking off Georgia Tech and Wake Forest."Our guys will go in and play with confidence, and I think that's the key," Craft added. "We've got to be loose and confident to even have a chance." Virginia isn't looking past any opponent and knows it will get the Bulldogs' best shot, as all eyes will be on the Cavaliers' redemption quest.After falling to Florida State 69-59 in last week's ACC tournament semifinals, the Cavaliers will have almost a full week to rest and prepare as they are arguably the healthiest they've been in postseason play under Bennett."We played a Florida State team that played really well, and we didn't play our best," Bennett said. "There are some areas we think we need to continue to get better in." The Cavaliers' offense is the most efficient it has been in years, led by Kyle Guy's 15.6 points per game. Guy and the Virginia offense have averaged 71.8 points per contest this season and had made 54.2 percent of 3-pointers over their previous five games before the loss to the Seminoles.Gardner-Webb's offense is led by a pair of career 1,000-point scorers in David Efianayi (18.7 points per game) and D. J. Laster (13.7) and freshman guard Jose Perez (15.1).The winner will advance to the play Sunday against the either No. 8 Ole Miss or No. 9 Oklahoma.--Field Level Media
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