Virginia coach to remember 'joy' of historic win vs. UNC - ESPN

Virginia coach Tony Elliott knew he had a team ready to make a breakthrough. He had no idea it would happen the way it did: On the road, in historic fashion.

But what he will remember most from the Cavaliers' stunning 31-27 upset victory over No. 10 North Carolina on Saturday night is the pure joy in the locker room. Because only they know how much they have endured since last Nov. 13, when Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry were tragically shot and killed after returning to campus from a field trip.

To put it simply, Elliott told ESPN on Sunday afternoon, his team has not stopped believing since that tragic day.

«That's what my message was in my postgame, right there on the field, just acknowledging the fact that it's been a hard road,» Elliott said. «It wasn't even a sense of relief. It was just joy to see these young men smile. For me personally, it was a moment of confirmation that everything that we've tried to do since the passing of our three young men has been the right thing.

»This isn't the only way that it's going to be measured, but it was awesome to see the young men smiling and dancing and having joy in the locker room."

It was the first road win in Virginia history against a top-10 ranked opponent, and it was the largest upset win by an ACC team since NC State beat No. 2 Florida State in 1998. It was also Virginia's first ACC win in a calendar year — since a 16-9 victory over Georgia Tech on Oct. 20, 2022. The final two games of the 2022 regular season were canceled following the shooting.

Virginia opened this season 0-5 — three of those five losses came by three points or less, all of them in the final minutes of the game. Elliott kept reminded players that, at some point, those close losses