For most of the game, (3) the Virginia Cavaliers(30-5) were going back and forth with the (14)Wright State Raiders(23-12) in their Midwest Region first-round matchup at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on Friday.
However, the Cavaliers, who trailed 70-67 with 5:32 left in the game, outscored the Raiders 15-3 the rest of the way, including an 11-0 run to win the game 82-73.
With the win, Virginia, who will play (6)Tennessee on Sunday in the second round, gets their first tournament win since 2019, which was the season they won a national championship.
The Raiders, who led 43-38 at halftime, gave the Cavaliers all they could handle, and Virginia coach Ryan Odom applauded the Horizon League tournament champion’s efforts after the game.
“Can’t say enough good things about Wright State,” Odom said. “They played lights out. They gave us everything that we could handle throughout the game. It was an excellent and well-played game, a real competitive game. They played a little bit differently than we were expecting, going into the game and how we prepared. They did a nice job on picking on our big guys a little bit in terms of popping and shooting some threes, but our guys did a nice job throughout the game of adjusting and just hanging in there. And that’s what you’ve got to do in this tournament. It’s not going to be perfect. It’s not meant to be perfect.”
The Cavaliers were led by Jacari White, who scored 16 of his season-high 26 points on 10-12 shooting from the field, including six threes off the bench.
According to the senior guard, he did everything he could to keep on playing in March.
‘It feels good knowing that I can have a performance like that and help us win a game,” Walker said. “It’s a lot of our first time being here, and I know, for it being my last year, I didn’t want for it to end so early. I love this group of guys that I’m with right now.”
Fortunately for White and the Cavaliers, they will keep on dancing.
Notes:
Michael Imariagbe led Wright State with 19 points, including a career-high five made threes. Solomon Callaghan chipped in with 18. The Raiders had four players in double figures
For Virginia, Sam Lewis had 12, and Malik Thomas added 11.
The Cavaliers shot 50% from three-point range(13-26).
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