The Best and Worst March Madness Moments in Virginia History

The Virginia Cavaliers arecoming up on their first matchup of the NCAA Tournament, and they're scheduled to face Wright State on Friday, March 20 at 1:50 p.m. ET. With another year of thrilling March Madness competition upon us, we can't help but look back on Virginia's history at the Tournament.

Although the Cavaliers have certainly had some notable performances—particularly their stunning championship win in 2019 under head coach Tony Bennett—it hasn't all been glamorous. With the good comes the bad and everything in between.

With that said, let's go back and remember the Cavaliers' best moments and the worst moments in their March Madness history.

UVA's 2019 Victory

Virginia Cavaliers Kyle Guy in the air and celebrating — Virginia Cavaliers guard Kyle Guy | Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY

Virginia has appeared in the NCAA Tournament 26 times, not including this year. However, it can't be denied that fans fondly think back to the Hoos' championship victory in 2019. In a heart-thumping overtime thriller in Minneapolis, Virginia defeated Texas Tech 85-77.

During that game, De'Andre Hunter posted a whopping 27 points, and Kyle Guy followed up with 24 points. Now, unlike now, UVA's bench wasn't as productive, but their five starters during this game were able to push through until the end. Of course, much of this was attributed to the efforts of Hunter and Guy, who also logged nine and three rebounds, respectively.

A Stark Difference From the Year Before

Virginia Cavaliers Dallin Hall running and pointing up — Virginia Cavaliers guard Dallin Hall | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The shocking nature of this game was that just one year prior, UVA, a No. 1 seed, dropped its First Round matchup to No. 16 UMBC 74-54. Not only did they claim the title of the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, but they also lost by a significant margin. UMBC went on to play Kansas State in the Second Round, leaving Virginia in the dust.

Considering how well the Hoos performed during their 2018-19 NCAA Tournament run, it's hard to imagine how grim their 2017-18 campaign ended. Simply put, this was a historic matchup in all the wrong ways.

The key factor in this dramatic loss was Jairus Lyles, who recorded 28 points, four rebounds and three assists during the game. The Hoos were unable to ward off Lyles, and they likely entered this matchup with a sense of complacency.

If anything can be learned from this meeting, it's that the Cavaliers must enter each contest, especially in the Tournament, cautiously. Upsets are certainly possible, even at this point in the year, and the Hoos know this better than anyone.