clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Top Virginia Sports Moments: No. 9

April 8th was a night to remember.

By Sayer Paige
UVA vs. Texas Tech, NCAA Championship game Photo by Ryan M. Kelly for The Washington Post via Getty Images

It’s onto No. 9 in our Top 30 Virginia Cavaliers sports moments of 2019 countdown!

But, before we get to that, make sure you’ve seen our previous installments first:

9. A National Title Brings Celebration

After days - no, weeks - of anxiety that necessarily entailed following the Virginia men’s basketball team from late March to early April, I had found bliss.

Watching De’Andre Hunter corral the last rebound of the season, take a few dribbles, and sky the ball into the air as the clock withered away meant it was all over. At last, the tension was gone. I could breathe again.

Well, momentarily at least. UVA had just won their first ever national championship, after all.

“They did it! They ******* did it!,” my friend Peter, better known as Sauce to his peers, yelled. His face, much like the rest of us nestled into the apartment on 15th street, a reflection of what had just transpired on the TV.

UVA vs. Texas Tech, NCAA Championship game
Virginia fans watch the championship game inside John Paul Jones Arena.
Photo by Ryan M. Kelly for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Over at JPJ, students rushed to the floor of the court, screaming, cheering, crying. The arena, not unlike the living room I was in, had turned from a watch-party into, well, just a party.

From there, the celebration eventually worked its way onto the streets, where we all joined forces with our fellow students, teachers and other Charlottesville citizens alike on the Corner, the university’s cultural heartbeat.

From Little John’s to Boylan Heights and beyond, it was a mob scene. Unknown allies hugged each other. Chants of “We are the Champions” rang often and always in unison. Yes, even the more dangerous (and inebriated) ones of the bunch dangled from the overpass underneath the train tracks.

Truly, it was a sight to behold.

UVA vs. Texas Tech, NCAA Championship game
A crowd gathers on University Avenue to celebrate the national title.
Photo by Ryan M. Kelly for The Washington Post via Getty Images

And, as for those Virginia fans lucky enough to witness everything in-person in Minneapolis, emotions expectedly ran just as high.

Just take this message from President Jim Ryan’s Twitter account:

To be sure, the setting was not as raucous. No, it couldn’t be, not inside the confines of U.S. Bank Stadium.

But, like every Wahoo fan that night, the feelings were just as intense.

Be sure to tune back in soon, when we reveal the No. 8 moment!

More From Streaking The Lawn