Virginia was less than 90 seconds away from winning its college basketball game against North Carolina State in the semifinal round of the ACC Tournament on Friday night. The Cavaliers lost.
Their mascot was so, so sad.
One of the most exciting games of March thus far went horribly wrong and sent him into a deep, dark state of depression and disbelief. His reaction to the loss immediately went viral.
The mascot, better known as CavMan, stood silently in the tunnel of Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. as the Wolfpack celebrated their comeback victory en route to the locker room. He was stunned.
“I can NOT believe wtf I just saw.”
— IG: BDahtTV (@BDAHT) March 16, 2024
Wow.
UNC vs NCSU tomorrow for the ACC SHIP. #ACCMBB pic.twitter.com/kANrqhBgug
Virginia took a 58-52 lead on a free throw with 52 seconds left. N.C. State brought the ball back up the court, down by six, and was fouled. It was the worst-case scenario for the Hoos in that moment and it only got worse.
Virginia choked it away.
Not only did the Wolfpack knock down all three free throws, they got the ball back for one final possession, still down by three, with about six seconds left. Michael O’Connell was the hero.
The Stanford transfer etched his name into school folklore with a wild buzzer-beater to tie the game just milliseconds before the clock hit zero. Tie game. Overtime.
NO. WORDS. pic.twitter.com/hyftX6y0id
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 16, 2024
N.C. State went on to dominate during the extra period behind seven points from 6-foot-8, 275-pound big man D.J. Burns Jr. and won its fourth game in four days to reach the ACC Tournament Championship. None of that would have been possible without O’Connell’s shot at the end of regulation.
The Wolfpack, a program that Jim Boeheim openly mocked on ESPN for having fun, will face their in-state rivals in the final. North Carolina State will play North Carolina for a big to the Big Dance.
On the flip side, Virginia’s loss put the Cavaliers on the wrong side of the bubble and likely ended their college basketball season— barring an NIT bid. Hence, the sad mascot.