Chaminade's victory over a Virginia team that included three-time national player of the year Ralph Sampson was called college basketball's "biggest upset" of all time by multiple publications.
The team featured center Ralph Sampson, who had twice been voted national college basketball player of the year; he received similar honors after the 1982–83 season concluded.
[5] Along with Sampson, guards Rick Carlisle and Othell Wilson,[6] and forwards Jim Miller, Tim Mullen, and Craig Robinson, were among the Cavaliers' players.
[6] Afterward, Virginia participated in a tournament in Tokyo and played against the Houston Cougars and Utah Utes, winning both games despite the absence of Sampson, who had been suffering from an intestinal virus.
[14] While the Silverswords were not included in the same polls as Virginia,[15] they were fourth in the NAIA rankings entering the game against the Cavaliers, which was the highest placement in school history.
[18] According to sportswriter Alexander Wolff, who viewed footage of the game, Chaminade did not attempt to hold possession of the ball for long periods on offense, and often sought to advance quickly up the court after Virginia baskets.
[6] Michael Wilbon, a writer for The Washington Post who was in attendance, reported that Chaminade's offense mostly consisted of jump shots away from Virginia's basket.
Chaminade responded with a 7–0 scoring run to force a 56–56 tie, before Sampson made a turnaround jump shot to give Virginia the lead back.
[21] Chaminade held a 74–72 lead with 35 seconds remaining, but Virginia gained possession of the basketball after the Silverswords missed a free throw attempt, which gave the Cavaliers an opportunity to tie the game.
However, Virginia was unable to score during the possession; following three missed field goal attempts, Cavaliers player Wilson committed a carrying violation with 10 seconds on the clock.
[6][19] Chaminade was led by Randolph; in 27 minutes on the court, he recorded 19 points with nine made field goals in 12 attempts, along with 5 rebounds.
[6] The only sportswriter at the contest who was not based in Hawaii was Wilbon, who had been dispatched by the Post to cover the Aloha Bowl, which featured the University of Maryland; he decided to make a side trip to the Virginia–Chaminade game.
"[25] Sports Illustrated and the Los Angeles Times later identified the game as the greatest upset in the history of college basketball.
[26] Chaminade gained increased prominence after the game, which caused the school to cancel a plan to change its name to the University of Honolulu.
[27] They finished the 1982–83 season with a record of 34–5, reaching the semifinals of the 1983 NAIA men's basketball tournament before being eliminated by the College of Charleston.
[29] The Cavaliers ended the season at 29–5, winning 11 of 12 games after playing Chaminade,[14] and received a number one seed in the 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
[34] Chaminade's victory led to the creation of the Maui Invitational Tournament, an annual event in which the Silverswords compete with seven major college teams.
[23] As of 2017, Chaminade has won eight games in the Maui Invitational since its creation in 1984; its most recent win was in 2017 versus the California Golden Bears.