Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

No. 1 Virginia gets a scare from No. 16 Coastal Carolina

Virginia guard Malcolm Brogdon (15) prepares to shoot a three-point shot against Coastal Carolina during the second half of an NCAA college basketball second-round tournament game, Friday, March 21, 2014, in Raleigh. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Chuck Burton

No. 1 Virginia got a scare from No. 16 Coastal Carolina in the opening round of the NCAA tournament on Friday night.

The Chanticleers jumped out to a 31-21 lead, managing to take a 35-30 lead into the break and staying close enough to tie the game at 47 with eight minutes left in the second half.

But that’s when the Cavaliers turned things on, using a 23-7 surge to pull away from CCU and advance into the Round of 32 with a 70-59 win. They will take on No. 8 Memphis.

London Perrantes and Malcolm Brogdon combined for 26 points, 11 assists and no turnovers and Anthony Gill chipped in with 17 points off the bench for Tony Bennett’s club, who saw their defense dissected by CCU for much of the first 20 minutes.

Virginia was doubted as much as any top two or three seed when the bracket was released, and they didn’t do much to silence those doubters on Friday. But we see this happen from time to time with No. 1 seeds. Ask Arizona. Ask Florida. Louisville ran into the same situation as well. It’s easy to overlook a team when it feels like your first game is a bye, and I think that’s what the Cavs ran into.

Follow @robdauster