I've seen the Cavaliers lose heartbreakers before, and this was not one of them. This was a tearjerker.
It had all the elements of a storyline that is capped off with a happy ending. A much-needed emotional win on the heels of two blowout losses; Sean Singletary's epic 23-point first half; Ryan Pettinella's two (consecutive!) free throws, and the subsequent celebration.
And yet, as Deron Washington's left-handed circus layup painstakingly rolled in the instant time expired, the sold-out capacity crowd could only stare in silence as the scoreboard flashed all too plainly the 70-69 overtime finish.
"It's one stop, it's one rebound, it's one roll of the ball," Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "That's the difference between a good ride home and questioning everything you're doing."
Considering Washington's game-saving play, Greenberg's words could not have been more poignant.
"We just didn't play particularly good D," Singletary said. "It was a fundamental breakdown."
The Cavaliers had all too many chances to seal the game and be the ones walking away elated. A 63-61 lead with 5:46 remaining evaporated in the closing minutes, during which both Calvin Baker and Mamadi Diane each missed the front end of a one-and-one. On the Cavs' final possession, Baker had a chance to redeem himself but couldn't convert an open three with 30 seconds remaining.
Even with the collapse at the end of regulation and the score tied at 63 apiece, the Cavaliers seemed to possess a curious momentum heading into the extra period. When Virginia followed a Jeff Allen free throw with a 5-0 run, the Cavaliers yet again appeared poised to finish off the Hokies once and for all.
But again, with the crowd urging on its team, Virginia couldn't put the Hokies away. Free throw by free throw, Virginia Tech worked its way to within one: 69-68. With 1:20 remaining, soon-to-be hero Deron Washington even rimmed a nobody-within-shouting-distance three that would have given the Hokies a 2-point advantage. The miss ostensibly gave the Cavaliers a new life once more.
But with no time left on the clock Washington emerged the hero, and despite the unfortunate haircut, he deserves all the credit in the world. Washington's missed three came three seconds after he came out of nowhere to block a Singletary layup at the peak of its height. Then, the junior missed yet another three with 14 seconds remaining -- but on the offensive rebound that would spell death for the Cavaliers, Washington had the confidence to take the game into his hands once more with his last-second acrobatic game-winner.
"What makes him [Washington] different from everything else is he's a freak, I say that affectionately," Greenberg said. "When he buys into that, he can change the game single-handedly."
As much as Virginia hates to lose to Tech, and as disappointing as it is for the Cavs to lose in such a fashion, this column would not be complete without commending the outstanding play, heart and sheer desire of Virginia's most beloved senior, Sean Singletary.
Wahoo fans, enjoy watching this guy while you have the chance, because you might not see anybody like him at Virginia for a long time.
We all saw Singletary have special moments last year. The Duke shot. The Clemson rebound. But never has Singletary dominated a half the way he did last night. Twenty-three points in the first half? I just double-checked. It's true.
"He comes at you for 44 minutes," Greenberg said. "He's just relentless. The guy's really magnificent."
But it wasn't enough, and that's what makes this loss harder to accept than any of the others. The Cavs' best player played his best basketball, and it was all just a tease.
"Individual performances always are thrown out the window when you lose a game like this," Pettinella said. "To have this outcome when you put in a lot of effort like that is really disappointing."
This may be the toughest article I have ever written at this newspaper. And it's difficult to come up with the right words when you are speechless.
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