The first of four contests at the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tipped off in the early afternoon on Friday afternoon with the Virginia Cavaliers avoiding an upset to #14 Wright State Raiders, 82-73. The Raiders held a five point lead at the halftime break, but the Cavaliers responded with a strong second half to advance to the Second Round on Sunday afternoon on South Broad Street.
It was a close affair in the first half with both teams showcasing an early focus on defense. Wright State started on fire from three-point range, hitting four of their first six shots from distance to take an early 16-13 advantage. Virginia responded with functional offense as the Raiders went cold, keeping the contest within a few possessions. Wright St. finished on a 7-2 run to earn the lead heading into the break.
Both teams shot around the same percentage in the first half: Wright St. at 46% (16-35) and Virginia at 48% (15-31). The lower-seeded squad dominated the turnover battle, 7-1.
One notable takeaway from the first half was the hot downtown shooting from Wright St, who finished at 44% from range on 8-of-18 shooting. Virginia kept Wright St. within arms reach by knocking down their own distance shots at a similar clip (46% on 7-of-15 shooting).
Virginia started the second half on fire and quickly erased the halftime deficit to even things up after 43 a few minutes after halftime. Wright State responded to the scoring barrage with some buckets of its own, but the Raiders struggled to find open space to operate against a stingy Cavaliers defense.
It was a three-point contest with under three minutes to play at Xfinity Mobile Arena as Wright St. threatened to pull off a stunner on the second day at the 2026 NCAA Tournament. However, it was Virginia who brought the hammer down to secure the win by outscoring Wright St. by 14 points (44-30) over the final 20 minutes.
Jacari White led Virginia with 26 points on 83% shooting from the floor, including six shots from behind the curved arc. Solomon Callaghan dropped 18 points in a losing effort for Wright State.
Virginia’s defense was the main takeaway from the second half of action. Wright State shot 44% from three-point range in the first half, but only 38% from distance in the second half. The Raiders' shooting percentage from the floor fell from 46% to 35% as Virginia put the clamps on defensively to avoid the upset.
It was an electric first contest in South Philadelphia with 18 lead changes and 11 ties through 40 minutes of college hoops action. Virginia advances to play the winner of the #6 Tennessee versus #11 Miami (Ohio) battle in Philly in the mid-afternoon. That matchup will take place at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday afternoon.
