Virginia beats Texas Tech to win 1st NCAA men's basketball championship

Virginia wins NCAA men&#039;s basketball tournament — (Image credit: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

NCAA March Madness ended Monday night with an unexpectedly exciting 85-77 overtime win by the University of Virginia Cavaliers over the Texas Tech Red Raiders, both of whom where vying for their first-ever men's basketball championship. Texas Tech took an early lead after regulation time ended in a tie, but Virginia then scored 11 unanswered points, eight of them from the free-throw line.

De'Andre Hunter notched a career-high 27 points for the Cavaliers, including the three-pointer than sent the game into overtime. Virginia savored its first-ever national championship all the more because last year the Cavaliers became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the first round.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.