CHICAGO — Virginia guard London Perrantes stood alone on one end of the court, pulling his jersey over his face. Coach Tony Bennett put his hands on his hips, powerless now to overcome this. Four Cavaliers players stood and watched Syracuse center DaJuan Coleman make a free throw, another dagger.
A few seconds remained in the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Region final, but it was finished.
In time, Bennett would suggest later, this season would be remembered fondly. Eventually, Perrantes would say as he stared blankly at his locker, this stain might fade.
But it won’t. A collapse this epic, with the 10th-seeded Orange doing exactly what the top-seeded Cavaliers knew they would eventually do, cannot be forgotten.