The Good, Bad and Ugly of Virginia’s Overtime Victory Against Notre Dame

The Virginia Cavaliers sealed a tight victory over Notre Dame last night, but it wasn't a seamless matchup.

Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs de Ridder | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers were caught up in a taxing matchup last night against Notre Dame. By the time the first quarter wrapped up, the Fighting Irish were ahead 44-35, with little sign of slowing down. However, toward the middle of the second quarter, the Cavaliers rallied and started to catch up. When the buzzer went off, the score was tied 73-73, throwing the game into overtime.

The programs eventually brought the score up to 85-85, resulting in yet another overtime battle. This time, Virginia just barely pulled ahead at the end to secure a 100-97 victory.

With the game behind them, let's take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from last night.

The Good

Virginia Cavaliers guard Sam Lewis | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

As enervating as this game was, Virginia was able to pull ahead ever so slightly in the final moments of double-overtime. Winning the game was largely attributed to the four points scored by junior guard Sam Lewis with just 15 seconds left on the clock. Additionally, his three-pointer in the first overtime is what allowed UVA to compete in an extension.

Although Lewis was not the leading scorer for Virginia, Thijs De Ridder claimed that title with 32 points, his final contributions sealed the heart-thumping victory for UVA.

The Bad

Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Notre Dame's sophomore guard Cole Certa put the Cavaliers to the test. He led both programs with 34 points, and with his 6'5" stature, he's already a daunting opponent to face. Certa did not waste any time going to the basket and putting himself on the board. UVA certainly had a difficult time tracking him.

"I mean, when he sees it going in the basket early as he did, you know, it can be a long night for you," head coach Ryan Odom stated during his postgame press conference. "And certainly he was somebody that we marked and scouted going into the game as he's got a dribble to shoot, and there were too many times it's hard because he backs up so much like he's three and four and five feet behind the line standing there and when they get in a switching situation and it's a big guy out there, they're just in unfamiliar territory. That's the only way to describe it. Big guys aren't used to guarding all the way out there, and they really tested us, but he's a big-time player."

The Ugly

Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

UVA's matchup can be considered a near miss. Ultimately, allowing the game to go into double overtime was a major risk for the Cavaliers. Having already faced a tight 85-80 loss to North Carolina just days before, Virginia was already off track. Notre Dame appeared to be rather confident entering this contest, and it took a while for the Cavaliers respond accordingly. As Odom noted:

"... They [Notre Dame] were really comfortable, and we were uncomfortable, got down 19 in the first half. And we were reeling a little bit, and that's probably, of course, but in the timeouts our guys came in, and they were, you know, communicating with one another in a positive way. Certainly, we did not intend to get down as much as we were down, but we were in that moment, and Notre Dame was putting a ton of pressure on us, and our guys had to answer, and fortunately, it began to turn a little bit..."