“I don’t care about the critics,” Cavaliers Coach Tony Bennett said, adding: “I just know it was really hard to lose in the first round. It stung. It was, as I said, a painful gift. It was so humbling but it drew me and drew our team closer in a way we couldn’t have gone.”

It first appeared as if the game would be played at Purdue’s pace. Both teams scored on their first four possessions, with Purdue taking an 11-8 lead just 3 minutes 30 seconds in. And a Virginia team that had allowed more than 70 points only three times this season appeared to be on its way to yielding far more.

But the hot shooting soon ceased, and empty trips became the norm. Virginia scored just 4 points in 7:13, which allowed Purdue to edge clear and take a 22-12 lead. The double-digit advantage prompted raucous “Boiler Up!” chants from the Purdue faithful. They sensed a foe on the ropes, a quick knockout in the offing.

The Cavaliers, though, clamped down, giving up just 8 points over the last 9:46 of the first half to get back in the contest. Even Ryan Cline — the Purdue senior guard who seemed as if he could not miss during Thursday night’s regional semifinal, and who on Saturday picked up where he had left off — began to cool off. Only Carsen Edwards found success for the Boilermakers on offense in the first half, putting up 16 points en route to a game-high 42.

“Never do I feel like I’m choosing to carry the team,” Edwards said. “It’s just I felt good and had rhythm on the shots I was taking, and they were just able to go in.”