COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Mamadi Diakite dominated, the Cavalier defense swarmed, and No. 9-seeded Oklahoma didn't really have much of a chance in a 63-51 outcome that pushed top-seeded UVa back to the Sweet 16 for the 10th time in program history.
Diakite finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks for UVa (31-3) while Ty Jerome added 12 points and De'Andre Hunter chipped in 10.
With the win, the Wahoos advanced to the South Region semifinals and a Thursday night matchup against either No. 12-seeded Oregon or No. 13-seeded UC Irvine.
UVa got off to a 7-0 run to start and the Sooners (20-14) needed a timeout with 18:09 left in the first half to stem the tide. Hunter's 3-pointer got things going followed by a Diakite board on a missed OU 3, a Jerome drive, a Diakite block, and then a Jerome jumper to make it 7-0.
But by the under-16, UVa's lead over Oklahoma was down to one thanks to an excellent response following their early timeout. Brady Manek, who finished with a team-high 13 points in the loss, hit back-to-back 3s for OU sandwiching a lob from Jerome to Diakite. Kristian Doolittle scored on a drive to make it an 8-2 run going into the first media timeout.
OU's success continued, as the run evolved into 10-0 over 3:50 during which the Hoos missed six shots in a row and made just one of their eight. After Braxton Key missed two free throws, Jamal Bienemy hit a 3-pointer and then Doolittle made a jumper over Salt to make it 13-9.
This time, though, it was the Cavaliers who would respond. An 8-0 run made it 17-13 Virginia and, at the under-8, it was 20-15 with 5:49 left in the half. The Sooners went cold, making just one of eight shots. After Diakite missed a pair of FTs, Kyle Guy scored on back-to-back drives and then Diakite scored inside. Manek's bucket with 7:08 left in the half ended the run but Jay Huff hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to five.
At that point, Diakite had six points and five boards to go with his three blocks. And as the final media timeout of the half arrived with 3:26 left, UVa, on an 8-0 run inside a larger 16-2 spurt, led by 10. The Sooners missed five shots in a row and made just one of their last 12. Kihei Clark hit a pair of free throws and then, after Manek made his third 3, scored on a drive in the lane. Key's offensive board and putback made it a 13-point lead but the Sooners got a Doolittle bucket and then a Manek lay-up in transition to cut it to nine at the break. But it was the last points he'd score, as Manek went 0-for-4 in the final 20 minutes.
The Hoos started the half making five of their first seven field-goal attempts, using a 6-2 run to lead 37-24 before the Sooners made three in a row from the floor. Diakite scored six points in a row for the Wahoos, all in the paint, going into the first media timeout and giving his team a 24-12 advantage in paint scoring. UVa finished with a 32-12 edge there and controlled the glass 36 to 29 while holding the Sooners to 36.5 percent shooting.
Key scored inside followed by a Jerome drive to make it a 15-point game coming out of that stop in play. After Miles Reynolds hit a baseline leaner for the Sooners, the two teams traded 3s going into the second media timeout of the half.
By the under-8, UVa led 50-37 with 7:32 to go as OU missed six shots in the row and went without a make from the field for more than five minutes.
When the final media timeout came with 2:38 to play, UVa had just gotten a 3-pointer from Clark to push the lead to 61-48. Bienemy scored on a drive with 1:36 left to make it an 11-point game and the Sooners called timeout but there was nothing doing. Virginia played keep away and Hunter put the exclamation point on the win with a dunk with 21.2 seconds left.
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