UVA's Inexplicable Late-Game Failure Stuns Fans as Furman Pulls NCAA Tournament Upset

It only took a few hours for the 2023 NCAA men's basketball tournament to devolve into chaos.

Fourth-seeded Virginia snatched defeat from the jaws of victory when a turnover in the final seconds allowed Furman's JP Pegues to hit a game-winning three-pointer.

The Cavaliers only needed to drain the clock down when Kihei Clark heaved the ball up the court. Garrett Hien intercepted the pass and found Pegues. It was the only three-pointer the sophomore guard made all game.

Late-game execution can always be a bit frenzied in the Big Dance. Thursday might have set a new gold standard. You can't blame Virginia fans for wondering what in the world Clark was thinking.

This isn't as bad as UVA losing in the first round as a No. 1 seed, but it's probably pretty close.

The silver lining is that fans should be numb to this kind of heartbreak by now.

Furman advances to the second round of the tournament for the first time since 1974, when the field was just 25 teams. The Paladins (28-7) will get either No. 5 San Diego State or No. 12 Charleston on Saturday in Orlando, Florida.

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