Ohio Bobcats forward Ben Vander Plas (5) and Ohio Bobcats guard Jason Preston congratulate each other during the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 20, 2021, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.  IndyStar-USA TODAY Sports

Ohio University pulled off a huge upset on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament, and its fans loved it.

The Bobcats knocked off Virginia 62-58 to advance to the second round of the tourney. Virginia was a four seed in the event and actually the defending champion since last year’s event was canceled. But Ohio played the Cavaliers close and then was able to pull away in the end for the victory. Ben Vander Plas scored 17 points, and Jason Preston had 11 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists.

The fans back home in Athens, Ohio were loving the win and went out to Court Street nearby campus to celebrate.

What an awesome time for the team.

Virginia was in a tough spot for the game. The Cavaliers won the ACC regular season but missed the conference tournament due to COVID issues. They spent the last week in quarantine and only arrived on Friday for the NCAA Tournament. It’s no surprise they weren’t at their best after such a layoff.

Ohio has now won its last three first-round games in the NCAA Tournament.

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