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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Ty Jerome, surrounded by his teammates and opponents from Oklahoma sitting on the floor of the Colonial Life Arena, his face red, looked up at the ceiling and let out a roar.
He was in the middle of a scrum of white and red jerseys, having left his feet in pursuit of a loose balloon. Braxton Key picked up the ball, placed it against his chest and called a timeout, and Jerome gave the verbal exclamation point while Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger looked at him without hope.
The No. 9 Sooners were no match for No. 1 Cavaliers in the second round of the NCAA tournament Sunday night, with Virginia's win between 63 and 51.
With the win over Oklahoma (20-14), Virginia (31-3) qualifies for her first Sweet 16 since the 2015-16 season. The Cavaliers will play in Louisville, Kentucky on Thursday, against UC, number 12 of Oregon, or UC, number 13, of UC Irvine, who played late Sunday night. This is the tenth appearance of Sweet 16 in the program's history.
"Everyone is talking about the Final Four, but I've never been to a Sweet 16," said goalkeeper Ty Jerome. "The opportunity to play with this group for a whole week, to train with this group and to travel with this group is what matters most."
Many claim that Virginia is not built for the post-season. The juries are still discussing it. But what is clear after Sunday's game is that the Cavaliers are not designed for March Madness's primetime television.
And that's exactly how they like it.
The arena in Columbia, South Carolina, was very busy when Virginia arrived on the field Sunday night. A few minutes had passed since Duke, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Region, defeated No. 9 seed UCF 77-76. The attacker's nails produced the type of drama on cable TV channels, and in the end, the Blue Devils defeated behind 32 points from star striker Zion Williamson.
Virginia, who could face Duke for the third time this season in the national championship game on April 8, is at its best when she stops the games, smothering her opponents with a stifling defense and stretched offensive assets.
That's what happened Sunday.
The Cavaliers forced the Sooners to shoot 36.5% in a run-of-the-mill affair that fell asleep at Colonial Life Arena. In the middle of the second half, the Oklahoma male cheerleaders followed their routine, reluctantly slapping their megaphone and empty face.
Following Friday's victory over Gardner-Webb, UVA players expressed relief for not having passed the first round. They lost early, risking losing a No. 16 seed for the second consecutive season after the last game. defeat of the season at UMBC.
"To be in this situation again, you are talking about trying to focus, then stoop. It was real, "said Virginia coach Tony Bennett. "So I think these guys have that. It's something they can always use. We faced a giant and fought it. "
With the giant defeated, Virginia played Sunday as a more relaxed team. While they seemed tense and nervous in the first half against Gardner-Webb, who was feeding on a large section of supporters, the Cavaliers scored the first seven points in their second-round match and led at half-time, 31-22.
The Sooners qualified for Sunday's game by beating Friday's eighth-seeded Ole Miss, 95-72, after scoring 44 points. Virginia did not allow the same kind of success inside, the Pack Line forcing Oklahoma to play from the perimeter.
It was not a recipe for success. Virginia won the battle in painting, 32-12, and passed Oklahoma, 36-29.
Mamadi Diakite played a big part in Virginia's victory over Gardner-Webb, scoring 17 points and nine rebounds, and he had another powerful match on Sunday.
While the Cavaliers' star guards trio – De'Andre Hunter, Kyle Guy and Jerome – took time to develop rhythms, the attacker set to work. He turned some offensive boards into easy points and slammed into a steady stream of alley-oop dunes to finish with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Jerome finished with 12 points for Virginia, who shot 48.2 percent of the floor in the win. Hunter racked up 10 points and scored the last basket of the game on a two-handed slam with 24 seconds to go.
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