Virginia basketball survives First Round upset scare from Wright State

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Jacari White (6) celebrates during the second half against the Wright State Raiders during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images Finally, once and for all, Virginia fans can breathe easily. The Wahoo faithful were given an all-too-familiar story, as 14-seeded Wright State gave UVA all they could handle.

However, this time, the alternative version of the script was finally written as the Cavaliers pulled away in the final minutes for an 82-73 victory, avoiding a catastrophic upset. Wright State head coach Clint Sargent identified the clear strengths in Virginia’s defense, and thus, attacked it in a unique way. Ugonna Onyenso, after breaking the ACC Tournament record for total blocks, was ultimately a non-factor in the box score, because the Raiders did not even try to attack the rim with him in the paint.

Wright State instead embraced their smaller lineup, spaced the floor, and attacked Virginia’s more vulnerable defenders with ball screens. Whereas the ‘Hoos were previously able to run shooters off the line with their guards and funnel opponents into the shot blockers, the Raiders wanted no part of that. Instead, they took advantage of UVA’s inability to get over screens and/or their late tags on the roller and shot a ton of jumpers.

6-foot-7 big Michael Imariagbe, who had not attempted a three-pointer since December, was all of a sudden given the green light and led the team with five triples. A more established shooter, Soloman Callaghan, added four of his own from deep. As a team, Wright State shot 13-for-31 (41.