By Jerry Ratcliffe

No. 33 from Virginia blocking a shot
Photo: ACC Media

It was late Saturday night by the time Virginia had suffered a heartbreaking loss to No. 1 ranked Duke in the ACC Tournament championship game.

With the game up for grabs into the final minute, the Cavaliers had poured everything into the effort before dropping a 74-70 decision. The locker room was filled with disappointment and Ryan Odom had to choose his words carefully to help ease the pain.

Odom wanted to turn the page quickly and get his players focused on the next step.

“So I asked the group, how many of you have played in the NCAA Tournament?” Odom revealed Sunday night when talking about the Cavaliers selection as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Midwest Region. Virginia, 29-5, will take on No. 14 seed Wright State, 23-11, on Friday (1:50 p.m., TBS) in Philadelphia.

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