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/1 Last week's 16 over 1 upset was the latest in a long line for those of us who cheer for both UVA and the Washington Capitals. Having a little distance now, let's review that history.
/2 March 1982: Virginia is a 1 seed in March Madness - loses in the Sweet Sixteen to 4th seed, Univ. of Alabama-Birmingham.
/3 Dec. 23, 1982: Virginia, ranked #1 in the country, is undefeated. It loses to an NAIA team, Chaminade, in what was the biggest upset in college basketball history (until last week arguably).
/4 March 1983: That same Virginia team, is a 1 seed again. Ralph Sampson is about to be the #1 pick in the NBA draft. UVA loses to the 6th seed, NC State, in the Elite Eight. NC State wins the championship.
/5 April 1985: The Capitals jump out to a 2-0 lead in a best of 5 playoff series against the Islanders. They drop the next 3 games and lose in 5 games.
/6 April 18, 1987: The Caps jump out to a 3 games to 1 lead in a best of 7 series with the Islanders. They lose three straight. The final game goes to 4 overtimes in a history-making loss christened the "Easter Epic" because it finishes early Sunday morning.
/7 May 1990: The Capitals finally advance past the second round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They are promptly swept by the Boston Bruins
/8 Nov. 3, 1990: UVA football is undefeated and ranked #1 in the country. They lose at home to Georgia Tech 41-38 after vandals burn a portion of the field the night before. After beating UNC the following week, UVA loses its last 3 games, including the Sugar Bowl.
/9 Dec. 29, 1991: UVA makes its second straight major bowl game, and is beaten by Oklahoma in the Gator Bowl 48-14.
/10 April 25, 1991: In a harbinger of things to come, the Capitals are knocked out of the playoffs by the Pittsburgh Penguins, four games to one.
/11 May 1, 1992: After going up three games to 1 in a best of seven playoff series, the Capitals lose three straight to Pittsburgh, two of those games in DC.
/12 April 27, 1994: After going up three games to 1 in a best of seven playoff series, the Capitals lose three straight to Pittsburgh, two of those games in DC.
/13 March 26, 1995: After upsetting #1 seed Kansas to reach the Elite Eight, UVA loses to Arkansas 68-61.
/14 May 18, 1995: After going up three games to 1 in a best of seven playoff series, the Capitals lose three straight to Pittsburgh for the third time in four years.
/15 April 24, 1996: After winning the first two games of a best of seven series, the Capitals are knocked out of the playoffs by Pittsburgh for the fourth time in five years. This series includes another heartbreaking 4-overtime loss on home ice in game 4.
/16 June 9, 1998: The Capitals advance to the Stanley Cup finals for the first (and only) time in their 44-year franchise history. They are swept by Detroit.
/17 April 21, 2000: The Capitals are bounced from the playoffs by the Penguins again - three of the four losses are by a single goal.
/18 April 23, 2001: The Capitals are bounced from the playoffs by the Penguins again, losing the final game in overtime 4-3.
/19 April 20, 2003: The Capitals are knocked out of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round in 6 games. Tampa wins game 6 in the third overtime.
/20 April 22, 2008: Alex Ovechkin (@ovi8) makes the playoffs for the first time - the Capitals lose to the Flyers in the first round in 7 games. Philly wins game 7 in overtime.
/21 May 13, 2009: The Capitals are knocked out of the playoffs by the Penguins for what seems like the 25th time, losing game 7 on home ice 6-2. There are many more Penguins' heartbreaks ahead.
/22 April 28, 2010: The Capitals win the President's Trophy for the best regular season record. They take a 3 games to 1 lead in the first round against the 8th seeded Montreal Canadiens. They then lose three straight to Montreal.
/23 April 23, 2011: The Capitals win their first round series in 5 games giving them a bit of extra rest going into round 2, and then promptly get swept by the Lightning.
/24 May 12, 2012: The Capitals lose in the second round again - this time in 7 games to the Rangers. As they approach their 40th season in the league, they've advanced past the second round only twice.
/25 May 13, 2013: The Capitals lose in the second round again to the Rangers after having a 3 games to 2 lead. The Caps are shut out in game 6 and game 7.
/26 March 28, 2014. UVA basketball is the #1 seed in the East Region. It loses to Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen.
/27 March 22, 2015: UVA is the #2 seed in the East Region. They lose to Michigan State (again) - this time in the second round.
/28 May 13, 2015: The Capitals lose in the second round to the Rangers for the third time in four years. They led this series 3 games to 1.
/29 March 27, 2016: UVA is the #1 seed in the Midwest. They have a 16-point halftime lead over Syracuse in the Elite Eight. UVA is up 15 with 9:33 remaining, about to make their first Final Four in 30+ years. Syracuse goes on a 25-4 run and upsets the top seeded Cavaliers.
/30 May 10, 2016: The Capitals win the President's Trophy for best record in the league. They are bounced from the playoffs by the Penguins in the second round (again). The final game goes to overtime before Pittsburgh wins. The Penguins then win the Stanley Cup.
/31 March 28, 2017: UVA loses to Florida in the second round of the tournament 65-39. 39 is the fewest points the Cavaliers score all season.
/32 May 10, 2017: The Capitals win the President's Trophy for the second consecutive year. They bow out of the playoffs. In the second round. To Pittsburgh. In game 7. At home. 2-0. Pittsburgh wins the Stanley Cup.
/33 March 16, 2018: UVA is the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. They become the first #1 seed to ever lose a tournament game to a #16 seed ... after 136 prior attempts. And they lose by 20.
/34 May 2018: I guess we'll see what the Capitals do in the playoffs this year, but would it surprise anyone to lose in the second round to Pittsburgh?
/35 Welp. Guess I was wrong about 2018. #ALLCAPS. @StanleyCup
