COLUMBIA, S.C. — The psychological shackles are gone now, and the Virginia Cavaliers play freely again, fully liberated from the haunting self-doubt that they might never again be who they believe they are.

UMBC is in the rearview mirror at last, and over the dashboard now the Cavaliers, 63-51 winners over Oklahoma at Colonial Life Arena, can see the Sweet 16 ahead of them Thursday night in Louisville against Oregon.

Ever since they buckled in the first half Friday night against Gardner-Webb, the Cavaliers have arisen and looked more like a 1-seed thanks largely to its Pack Line defense that suffocated Oklahoma … and an unlikely hero on Sunday night in 6-foot-9 big man Mamadi Diakite.

Coach Tony Bennett informed Diakite (14 points, nine rebounds, three blocks) on Sunday morning that he would be starting over Jack Salt.

“His quickness I thought might be a factor,” Bennett said.

It was all the redshirt junior from Guinea needed to hear.

“He started me tonight and I was trying to respond to the challenge the coach gave me,” Diakite said. “I wanted to prove him that I was ready to play.”

Diakite had started the second half against Gardner-Webb and finished with 17 points, so Bennett mulled staying with him at the walk-through.

“To me it’s just a big challenge, he’s telling you, ‘OK, you have the responsibility to help the team and we’re trusting you,’ ” Diakite said.

The Cavaliers needed more from Diakite because star De’Andre Hunter (10 points in 29:31) was saddled with foul trouble.

“I’ve just been very patient and letting the game come to me,” Diakite said.

An 18-2 run in the first half, spurred by a pair of buckets by Jay Huff, devastated the Sooners, and they never got closer than 11 in the second half. Because when you shoot 19-for-52 (36.5 percent), you go home.

“They played for each other defensively,” Bennett said.

Still, Virginia scares no one offensively, and better improve on its 7-of-24 3-point shooting. Kyle Guy cannot afford to shoot 2-for-15. But with the UMBC monkey off their backs, the Cavaliers believe they are answering the question Will The Real Virginia Please Stand Up?

“I played as hard as I could tonight knowing that the way I felt last year,” Guy said. “We didn’t play a perfect game, but I think we played as free and as hard as we could for 40 minutes.”

Free at last.

“We have worked so hard for these moments,” Guy said, “and it would have been a shame to let it go out the same way as last year if we wouldn’t have bounced back. I trust everyone on this team, and I trust this coaching staff, and we weren’t gonna let it go down that way.

“Gardner-Webb played great, but we weren’t going out that way, and we weren’t gonna go out that way today either.”