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The No. 13 Ohio Bobcats pulled a stunner and knocked off the defending national champion No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers 62-58 in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
UVA becomes the first team to lose in the first round on both sides of a national championship. They famously became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed when they fell to UMBC in the 2018 tournament, then won the national championship in 2019. There was no event in 2020 due to COVID-19.
The Bobcats were led by Ben Vander Plas with 17 points, and Ben Roderick with 15. As a team Virginia was held to just 21-60 from the field, and 8-31 from three point range. Ohio also outrebounded the Hoos 38-29, and were 13-14 from the free throw line.
Virginia had to go through plenty to even get to appear in this game, and was forced to leave the ACC Tournament after positive COVID-19 tests. It cut deeply into practice time leading up to March Madness, and the Cavaliers only arrived in Indianapolis on Friday night for a Saturday evening game.
For the Bobcats, it’s their second-straight win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a double-digit seed. The last time this happened, they ended up in the Sweet 16 in 2012.
The Bobcats go on to play Creighton on Monday in the Round of 32.