Alec Dougherty

I can remember the day I fell in love with the Yankees. I was home sick at my grandparents’ house in third grade, flipping channels when a rerun of the prior night’s game came on the screen. It helped me pass the time when I was getting over my sickness, giving me a little brightness during those couple days. I carried that bright feeling with me as I watched the rest of the 2006 season obsessively.

On a day in which two of its best players declared their intentions to play professionally, the Virginia basketball program wasted no time reloading, securing a commitment from forward Justin McKoy. A current senior at Panther Creek High School in Cary, N.C., McKoy decided shortly after his official visit to Charlottesville over the weekend that he would take his talents to the Cavaliers’ roster. “I chose a school that will not only improve me as a player but as a man of God as well,” McKoy said.

A wild three weeks of basketball and an unforgettable season come to an end for Virginia Monday night. For the first time in school history, the Cavaliers get the chance to finish on top. Virginia (34-3, 16-2 ACC) takes on Texas Tech (31-6, 14-4 Big 12) in the long-awaited National Championship game. Both teams come into Monday’s showdown battle-tested after gritty NCAA Tournament wins, but for Virginia especially, it has been nothing short of an emotional explosion.