Last Wednesday night I was again reminded why I love college basketball so much. Dave and I had tickets to the UVA vs Ohio State game, our local installment of the ACC – Big 10 rivalry. And, while I was excited at the prospect of a good game, I was not so happy about the late tip-off time to accommodate ESPN.
Admittedly, I am old and a 9:20 start time is the equivalent of 11:20 in OP (old people) terms. My end of day fatigue combined with a less than stellar first half, had me secretly yearning to go home and go to bed, foregoing the second half entirely. I couldn’t see how my team would make up a 16 point deficit and come back to win. And, while winning isn’t everything, it does make life a little sweeter.
Then, to my delight, our guys took the floor for the second half and went on an 11-0 run, bringing the point spread down and victory back into the realm of possibilities. The arena became electrified as the fans joined the team in the fight, making noise when Ohio State had the ball, cheering politely for each UVA possession and booing mercilessly at each perceived slight or bad call by the refs.
With less than five minutes to go, UVA took the lead, lost it and regained it again. The John Paul Jones Arena went wild! For the last couple of minutes, we were all on our feet cheering our hearts out to keep the hope alive and then, with seconds left to go and UVA leading by one point, Ohio State took possession and as the last few seconds ticking by, took the last shot …. and missed! WE WON!
I’m not sure how much the cheering of the fans had any effect on the outcome, but it sure felt like we were doing something to further our cause. But, nonetheless, winning felt very good. It lifted my spirits and gave me hope. After last month, I needed a positive reminder to help shake off my blues.
Thanks Tony Bennett for coaching your guys onto this win, it was amazing! And thanks to you Jay Pinto for introducing me to this incredible game!