Jacari White helps Virginia snap 7-year March Madness win drought
For the first time in seven years, Virginia basketball has won a March Madness game. Jacari White helped the Cavaliers hold off an upset to Wright State.
Be sure to follow USA TODAY Sports' live updates keeping track of all of NCAA Tournament's Friday first round games. PHILADELPHIA, PA — Virginia basketball coach Ryan Odom did not mention the elephant in the room with his team heading into Friday's Men's NCAA Tournament First-Round game against No. 14 seed Wright State.
"We never talked about it," Odom said following his team's 82-73 opening round win of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. "We only talk about what this team wants to accomplish. We had no thought about the history other than being proud of the history of Virginia basketball.
" There was no need to. To Odom's point, the 2025-26 Cavaliers roster features 12 newcomers from last season, and Odom, himself, is in his first year on the sidelines in Charlottesville. REQUIRED READING: Thijs De Ridder filled out brackets overseas.
Now he's leading Virginia's March Madness run The 3-seeded Cavaliers' first NCAA Tournament win in 2,538 days didn't come easily, however. The Raiders had Odom's squad on upset watch for much of the game and forced them to fight until the end to break their three-game losing skid. Nonetheless, a win in March Madness can go a long way toward building a new team's confidence for a run in March.