Rapid Takeaways from Virginia's Disappointing Second Round Loss to Tennessee

It's official, the Virginia Cavaliers have now been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament after the Tennessee Volunteers took home a 79-72 victory.

As expected, this game presented a tough battle for the Cavaliers and for the Volunteers. But the Volunteers are now off to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, moving one step closer to potentially clinching college basketball's prestigious national championship title.

With Virginia's Second Round matchup having wrapped up, let's take a look at how the game unfolded and dive into the key takeaways.

1. Fast Pace Early On

Neither of these programs are known to play fast games, and fans who have been following Virginia this season can attest to that. But with 15:00 on the clock in the first, the score had already reached 12-8 with Tennessee leading the way. Had it not been for Sam Lewis' remarkable blocks up to this point, the margin would have been quite a bit wider.

2. Chance Mallory Boosted UVA With Critical Plays

Mallory is undeniably rich in talent, despite being only a freshman. Once the game wrapped up, he had logged 10 points and six rebounds. Mallory was involved in some crucial moments on offense and defense, ultimately allowing UVA to keep things tight.

3. Virginia Was Tested by Tennessee’s Defense

This was to be expected—the Volunteers do not allow scoring in the paint; they're persistent and relentless on defense, which is what makes them such a daunting opponent to face. As mentioned, this wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but the Hoos have managed to pull ahead against similar teams in the past, and the goal was to see a similar outcome. However, as the game progressed, the Volunteers slowly started to slip away on defense, allowing the Hoos to keep a tight score.

4. Small Margin at Halftime

Once halftime rolled around, Tennessee was up five, with a score of 36-31. Jacari White led both programs in points (10), while Thijs De Ridder led both programs in rebounds (four) and Dallin Hall led UVA in assists (two). At this point in the game, the Volunteers had logged just one turnover, but the Hoos had three, which the Vols scored five points off of.

5. UVA Closes the Gap in Final Minutes, Unable to Stay Ahead

Once 3:30 was left on the clock in the second, the score reached 70-68, with Tennessee just barely ahead of the Cavaliers. As the time dwindled, the gap continued to close, and De Ridder hit a crucial three, putting Virginia in the lead. Unfortunately, the Hoos were unable to maintain this momentum and could not make enough plays down the stretch to seal the win.