The Virginia Cavaliers defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Monday night to clinch the NCAA championship title, The New York Times reports. The University of Virginia—which was ranked No. 1 last year yet lost to a No. 16 seed in an embarrassing seasonal finish—salvaged its reputation with a 85-77 win in overtime. According to the Times, this title game was the first between the two men’s teams in four decades. In their quest for the title this season, the Cavaliers had to fight an uphill battle—including fielding questions about whether their approach would work for championship basketball. Over the weekend, Virginia starting guard Kyle Guy said he used the team’s loss to University of Maryland Baltimore County last year to propel him and the rest of the team forward. “If you have a conflict, try to hit it head on,” Guy said. “That’s the only way you’re going to get past it, and that’s something that I’ve learned over the years: If you shy away from it, that’s where sometimes your anxiety will come in and haunt you. So I just wanted to hit it head on.”
