“I can’t even put it into words” was what Kyle Guy said when asked what the feeling of winning an Elite 8 game for the first time was like.
From both a Wahoo standpoint and an impartial standpoint, that sentiment is easy to understand. The game—if the spectacle that occurred in the packed confines of the KFC Yum! Center on March 30, 2019 can even be called that—was truly indescribable.
It had everything that makes up a great game. There was great defense and better offense. There were truly breathtaking performances, howling fans, emotional players and, of course, a buzzer beater to rival the best of them.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. There’s just so much to talk about when it comes to this game of games that it’s difficult to know where to start.
So let’s start at the beginning.
Both teams, Purdue in particular, came firing out of the gates. Ryan Cline canned a three-ball on the first possession for the Boilermakers, a theme that would become very redundant throughout. The tough shot that Cline made was followed by a nearly flawless possession for the Hoos resulting in a Mamadi Diakite jumper.
That, too, would be something oft repeated over the course of the game. Purdue would spend a good chunk of their allotted 30 seconds with the ball looking in vain for somewhere to go with it. In the end, they often found a good place for it: the hoop. A tough 30 seconds of vintage pack-line defense found itself left for naught after a difficult three ball or contested jumper.
Yet on the other end, Virginia would break down its opposition for an intelligent shot to stay within reach. The Wahoos, methodically working through their set, normally found the good look that their system is predicated upon finding. But then Purdue would jack up an impossible three on the other end to discount the Virginia bucket, and the whole cycle would start all over again.
The game continued in that vein for a while. And while that pattern would not be as prevalent after the opening 12 or so minutes of game-time, it remained throughout, though the tables were turned to favor Virginia in the second half.
Regardless, Purdue certainly wasn’t going to complain if it stayed the way it started forever. No matter how good defense the orange-and-blue clad played, or how solid offense, the Boilers were always there with another ridiculous shot.
That theme of ridiculous shots certainly never went away, becoming more and more frustrating as the game sped on. But it served Purdue well in the beginning anyway. They came out hot, hitting six of their first eight attempts from three-point range.
The sixth of those, which was an Aaron Wheeler three to supplement those of Cline (2), Edwards (2), and Hunter Jr., made it 22-12 with 10 minutes to play in the first half.
Virginia had some moments in that stretch, two of which—a block and massive dunk—belonged to Mamadi Diakite. But those were the exceptions, not the rule.
While Purdue got it done in bursts of brilliance, the Hoos went slow and steady. Edwards and Jerome traded threes, and Virginia went on a mini-run to cut it to one. An Edwards jumper capped that run, and another three from the undisputed player of the game made it 30-26.
But the Hoos kept chugging away, and it was a one-point game, 30-29, at the break.
A scare occurred for Virginia fans just before halftime. Kyle Guy had fallen and done something to his ankle. He appeared to have reset it though, and was fine for the second half. Actually, he was much better than just ‘fine’ in the second half.
Coming into the game, Guy had been 3/26 from deep in the tournament. For one of the best shooters to ever don a Virginia uniform, that’s pretty bad, to put it mildly. But maybe resetting that ankle had also reset his three-point shot.
Guy made it clear that he had never been one to believe in slumps. Watching the second half, you never would have been aware that he had ever been in one.
He was five of eight from behind the arc after coming out of the halftime locker room. Guy was the guy. He traded buckets with Carsen Edwards for a while, although the fact that he didn’t quite keep up didn’t exactly go down to the fault of Guy.
He was outstanding in a time where his team desperately needed him. His 25 points were an incredibly welcome addition, especially as 19 of them came in the second half. It was an incredible performance from a player who had done so much for his program.
Despite what Guy did being so amazing, it paled in comparison to what Carsen Edwards did. To put it simply, it was one of the greatest performances in a single college basketball game ever. It was, in the purest sense of the word, unbelievable.
There were several stages of Carsen Edwards-induced depression for UVa fans.
Stage 1: Edwards hits a few early threes. At that point, we’re all shaking our heads, impressed. But at the same time it’s passed off as a fluke, saying that “he’s gotta cool down eventually.”
Stage 2: Edwards goes into the locker room with 16 points and four threes. We all tell ourselves that he can’t keep this up, that it was a great first half but he—and Purdue—are bound to stop soon.
Stage 3: It takes him 6:17 seconds of game time to hit his first second half three. Within 1:40, he’s got two more. “Oh no, not this again,” rings through Wahoo households. Hands are thrown up into the air in utter helplessness as one player looks to single-handedly end a team’s quest for a title.
Stage 4: It’s becoming unbelievable. Edwards hits a three, seemingly at ease, from the logo. The cauldron of Purdue fans grows louder as he defies the natural laws of basketball that have been instituted over time. Virginia fans, as one, smash things, or else yell at the television. The calmer ones among us likely walk out of the room to steel themselves for what is to come. This is ridiculous.
Stage 5: The final straw. In the face of seemingly flawless defense from Kihei Clark, the Purdue guard steps back to attempt yet another three as his team trails by one with 1:11 to play. As he fades away, it is clear that he has missed. He missed by about three feet, in fact. But wait. The ball hits the glass and falls in as the Purdue crowd erupts. Wahoo fans can do nothing else but gape in utter disbelief. Reactions are different across the fanbase, but the same hurt, angry, disbelieving feeling is there throughout.
It seemed that Carsen Edward’s final parting gift to UVa fans would be that off-the-glass three. Ryan Cline was at the charity stripe with a chance to essentially put the game on ice.
He makes the first to make it a three point advantage as the crowd urges him on. And just to reiterate, that was a largely Purdue crowd. In the whole 22,000 person capacity of the Yum! center, only one miniscule section of orange stuck out.
Regardless, Cline now stands at the line with a chance to end it. And this play, this instance, is one so often overlooked in talking about the game. Lost in the excitement of the moment that followed, people seem to forget that had Cline sunk this shot, none of it would have happened.
That would have been the end. Nevertheless, he missed it and gave the Hoos one final chance to tie. Matt Painter encouraged his team to foul, and put Ty at the line with 5.9 ticks remaining.
Making the first, Ty now has a decision as to whether to make or miss the second. And therein lies another small detail often overlooked. Tony Bennett never gave his point guard any indication of which route he wanted him to take. He left Jerome to his own devices here.
While he later admitted he was trying to make it, Jerome missed off the front iron. And you know the rest.
There was the big—almost too powerful—swat into the backcourt by Mamadi. The desperate chase by Kihei. And then the audacity of the first year to look off his upperclassmen, both screaming for the ball. But he kept his head up and delivered that laser straight into the waiting arms of Mamadi Diakite. Then the quick, smooth, catch-and-shoot that sent the ball into the cradle of the net and the game into overtime.
An incredible, truly unbelievable moment that will forever be remembered.
There were three images that followed that monumental moment that summed it up perfectly.
First, immediately after the shot fell, was Jack Salt. The fifth year was another player who was overlooked in the midst of an amazing game. He stepped up with five points in 34 minutes and some huge boards. But there he was, jumping like a little girl towards his teammates in celebration of the moment.
It really captured the unbridled joy of the moment. To send the “pillar of salt” leaping through the air like a five-year old who sees their birthday cake is no mean feat. His emotion in the moment was perfect.
The second image was quite a bit different. It didn’t have to do with any Virginia players, or anybody on the court at all. Instead, it was picked up on by one of the camera guys working the game. In the immediate aftermath of the play, the broadcast cuts to three Purdue fans.
These fans are standing up like every other in the building. But these three Purdue fans, having just watched their team get sentenced to an unwanted overtime period stand there and. . . Laugh. Big, hearty laughter. It said so much about what had just come to pass.
The game to that point had just been so incredible, and the play so fitting, that these three men stood there guffawing in utter disbelief of what they had just seen.
On the court, it was the same story. Mamadi, walking past Edwards, had to divert his path a bit. The two looked at each other, smiles on their faces, shaking their heads. As Mamadi passed, he gave his opponent a playful punch in the chest, saying the words, “I know, man.”
It spoke to the surreal feeling of the moment. Edwards had spent 40 minutes playing otherwordly basketball, and a shot for the ages had erased it all, at least in a scoreboard sense.
Given the rest of the game, overtime was almost a disappointment. But it was still pretty amazing. A crazy scoop-and-score from Ty Jerome and a wild Edwards bucket in the lane set the tone. De’Andre Hunter, largely absent from the game, finally showed up in the extra period with four points.
Two of those came on a huge bucket, using his strength to get to the rim and lay it in. That would give the Hoos a lead they would never relinquish. Edwards and Ryan Cline had a miscommunication, and that was it.
Tony Bennett was left standing on a ladder with a net in one hand and scissors in the other. He shook it to the small band of Wahoo fans and yelled in complete joy and relief, among other emotions.
Virginia 80, Purdue 75. Instant classic. Virginia was in their first final four since 1984.