When 16-seed Gardner-Webb took a 14-point lead in the first half of Friday’s NCAA Tournament matchup, Virginia fans were likely breaking a sweat, possibly uttering a few profanities here and there, thinking, “Not again.”

When Mark Jerome put a basketball in his tike’s hands for the first time, he began preaching a never-ending sermon about the most important part of the game.

Virginia begins the quest for its first NCAA Tournament title Friday against Big South Conference champion Gardner-Webb in Columbia, SC, at approximately 3:10 p.m. on truTV.

The difference in this Virginia basketball team and previous Tony Bennett squads has been the storehouse of offensive firepower.

A year removed from NCAA Tournament history, when Virginia became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16, the Cavaliers will get a shot at redemption on Friday afternoon in Columbia, S.C., when they take on another unheralded No. 16 in Gardner-Webb.

Tony Bennett sat in the very same spot Friday night that he occupied last March when his Virginia team — the top-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament — fell prey to the madness.

Virginia’s ACC Tournament came to an end Friday night, as No. 4 seed Florida State out-toughed, out-hustled, and bottom line outplayed the top-seeded Cavaliers, 69-59, in the semifinals at the Spectrum Center.

Two of the conference’s hottest teams square off tonight in the ACC Tournament semifinals at 7 p.m. in Charlotte, as Virginia faces 12th-ranked and fourth-seeded Florida State, a team the Cavaliers knocked off by 13 back in early January in the conference opener.

When Thursday afternoon’s “Cavalanche” came, it caught upset-minded NC State completely by surprise.

No. 1 seed Virginia got a career high from senior big man Jack Salt, a near-record performance from junior sharpshooter Kyle Guy, and cruised to a 76-56 win over No. 8 NC State Thursday in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal round at the Spectrum Center.

No. 1 seed Virginia tips off its 2019 ACC Tournament at 12:30 Thursday afternoon with a quarterfinal matchup against eighth-seeded NC State at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts doesn’t expect his team to back down one bit when the Wolfpack faces No. 2 Virginia in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday (12:30 p.m.).

The second round of the ACC Tournament is underway, and top-seeded Virginia now knows its quarterfinal opponent. Click back here for updates throughout the day, brought to you by Blue Ridge Bank.

I was listening to national sports radio the other day and when the topic of last year’s NCAA Tournament came up, the host said his most memorable moment from the event was Tony Bennett’s heartfelt message after Virginia became the first No. 1 seed in history to lose to a No. 16 seed, UMBC.

If you missed any of Tuesday’s opening-day action in Charlotte, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a recap of the ACC Tournament’s first session, brought to you by our friends at Blue Ridge Bank:

Here’s a look at the best of the best in each category of ACC Men’s Basketball.

Here’s everything you need to know about all 15 Atlantic Coast Conference teams.

When Kyle Guy ascended the ladder to cut down the net after Virginia had clinched its fourth regular season ACC title in six years, there were a lot of thoughts rolling through his mind.

This one was for Jack. With an ACC regular-season title on the line, No. 2 Virginia erased a second-half deficit and held off Louisville, 73-68, in the conference finale Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena.

John Markon photos from #2 Virginia’s 73-68 win over Louisville.