This year, it seems like every football loss is a slap in the face to Virginia's school pride. That's one reason Sunday's game between the Virginia and Tennessee women's basketball teams was refreshing; it reminded me what it's like to lose with dignity.
Certainly there's some disappointment in the loss. It was hard not to get your hopes up at least a little bit: Virginia had edged the Lady Volunteers last year, and the big crowd this year promised an electric, upset-hungry atmosphere.
Yet even with a 77-63 final score in favor of Tennessee, the dominant emotion was celebratory for all who were present. Fans seemed more eager to celebrate having All-American guard senior Monica Wright, 700-win coach Debbie Ryan and a top-15 program than they were to lament the loss.
"By the end of the season, we will be winning championships," Ryan announced to the record-breaking crowd of 11,895.
That might be a little bit optimistic, but after Virginia played as well as it did against Tennessee, high hopes are pretty reasonable right now.
Wright went 8-for-21, which seems far from a great shooting percentage until you consider that almost the entirety of the Vols' defensive plan was to key on the All-American, who torched Tennessee for 35 last year.
It's a testament to Wright's dominance that Tennessee coach Pat Summitt and multiple Tennessee players expressed satisfaction at how they held Wright to "only" 21 points.
But the true revelation of Sunday's bout was just how well the non-stars can play. For example, freshman center Simone Egwu's 10 points and six rebounds were crucial in keeping the team alive.
Egwu's impressive play thus far this year is no fluke. She has a slight case of gameday nerves, but plays with toughness after she settles in.
Her attitude is even better than her game. After taking on the monstrous, six-block Kelley Cain for a pretty impressive 34 minutes, she deflected comments that her performance was a big deal. She does whatever the team needs, and it was just another day at the office.
I expect Egwu to be one of the best players on the team for the next four years and an All-ACC stud her junior and senior year. She might even be the early favorite for ACC Rookie of the Year after a few weeks of play.
Another player who really impressed on Sunday was junior guard Paulisha Kellum. She played only 21 minutes but scored courtesy of some mind-boggling moves. I expect some "Air Kellum" signs to appear in JPJ before season's end.
Ryan, however, said Kellum is only 75 percent recovered from the season-ending injury she suffered last year. If what we saw Sunday was only three-quarters of Kellum, I can't wait until we get the whole thing. With a 1-2 punch of Wright and a fully recovered Kellum, Virginia might have the two best guards in the conference.
Speaking of incredible guards, sophomore Ariana Moorer made another leap forward Sunday. She overcame a few costly decisions - such as three turnovers and jump shots she took too early - to make some incredible, flashy steals along with And1-worthy moves to the basket.
So, don't feel too bad about that last loss on Hot Dog Day. A win would have been nice, but the affirmation Virginia received about the quality of its team and program means even more than a tally in the win column ever could.
My favorite parts of the afternoon came after the game. I loved seeing every Cavalier and Volunteer circle up and say a quick communal prayer. I loved hearing Pat Summitt's kind words about Debbie Ryan - "she does it the right way" - and Ryan's kind words for Summitt - "I'm a better person for knowing her."
But most of all, I loved seeing almost every one of the 11,895 stay until the final buzzer to give the losing Cavaliers a standing ovation for continued excellence and tremendous character. That, and the free hot dog was nice, too.
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