CHICAGO — Anthony Gill handed out high-fives on the sideline as his teammates gathered during a timeout, urging Virginia to stay calm as everything around the Cavaliers fell apart. Syracuse’s Malachi Richardson had just scored again, with less than four minutes to play, to extend Syracuse’s lead to six amid a stunning turn of events in the second half of Sunday’s Midwest Region final in the NCAA tournament.
Minutes later, the 10th-seeded Orange completed a 68-62 upset of the top-seeded Cavaliers, whose bid for a first Final Four appearance since 1984 suddenly disappeared along with their 16-point second-half lead.