Virginia wears down Oregon in Sweet 16 slog. This is what’s next for the Cavaliers

Virginia played a very Virginia-like game and the top seed in the South Region is one step away from the Final Four.

The top-seeded Cavaliers hung on to defeat No. 12-seed Oregon 53-49 on Thursday night in a grind-it-out game.

“It wasn’t a masterpiece, but as the saying goes, survive and advance,” Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett said.

Virginia, which improved to 32-3 and now owns a school record for victories in a season, will meet Purdue on Saturday for the region championship. Tip-off is 7:49 p.m. (Central).

The Cavaliers led by eight at halftime but the Ducks, a strong second-half team throughout its 10-game winning streak, took a 45-42 lead with 5:43 minutes remaining on Louis King’s three-pointer.

But defense on both sides took over. Oregon went more than five minutes without a score. The Cavaliers went ahead for good at 48-45 on Ty Jerome’s three-pointer with 3:34 remaining.

Virginia’s Kyle Guy ended a streak of 17 consecutive three-point misses and finished with 10 points, one of four Cavaliers in double figures.

This story was originally published March 28, 2019 at 11:48 PM.