NCAA Latest: Stats show tiny edges for Virginia, Texas Tech
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Latest on the NCAA Tournament championship game between Virginia and Texas Tech (all times local)
11:26 p.m.
Virginia's nail-biting trip through the NCAA Tournament will go down in history as one of the most clutch performances from game-to-game by any championship team.
The Cavaliers' overtime victory over Texas Tech made them just the sixth title team to win multiple-OT games in a tournament, and the first since Arizona accomplished the feat in 1997.
They outscored their opponents by a scant 45 points, the third-lowest margin of victory by a championship team since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
The only comfortable game was their opening win over No. 16 seed Gardner-Webb, and that came after falling into an early hole. Virginia beat Oklahoma 63-51 in the second round, edged Oregon 53-49 in the regional semifinals and needed a last-second floater to force OT in a win over Purdue.
"We have a saying: The most faithful win," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. "These guys were so faithful. Obviously we had some amazing plays."
— Dave Skretta reporting from Minneapolis.
11:14 p.m.
As Virginia's players were busy cutting the nets down following their first national title win over Texas Tech, congratulations were pouring in across social media.
One of them came from the UMBC basketball team, which tweeted: "What an incredible season for UVA. That was truly a turnaround for the ages. Congratulations, champs!"
It was UMBC that beat Virginia in the first round of last year's tournament, the first time a No. 16 had ever defeated a No. 1 seed. And it was that historic upset that fueled the Cavaliers all season and right into the Final Four, where they dispatched the Red Raiders in overtime.
— Dave Skretta reporting from Minneapolis.
