Three keys for UVA basketball to beat Wright State

The talk is over, and the Virginia Cavaliers have arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for their first-round matchup against the 14-seeded Wright State Raiders on Friday afternoon at 1:50 PM. The ‘Hoos are -4000 odds to win and are favored by 17.5 points according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Make of that what you will…

Virginia will be looking to take home its first NCAA Tournament win since its memorable run in 2019, and Wright State eyes just its second tournament victory in school history, its first being in the First Four against Bryant in 2022.

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Wright State has been a 14 seed in the big dance twice in its school’s history, suffering 79-58 and 73-47 losses to Pittsburgh in 2007 and 3-seed Tennessee in 2018, respectively. Virginia, on the other hand, has never been a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament, but is no stranger to dangerous double-digit seeds, as their last three defeats in this tournament have been to double-digit seeds.

Past performance is not indicative of future results, right? Try telling that to a Virginia fan, I dare you. However, this time out for Virginia, it very well may be the case. A whole new regime, a different style of basketball, and a roster with no affiliation with the past results. This roster is filled with veterans who are hungry to win, and a coaching staff that knows exactly how to do it.

Wright State is no cupcake, but they also aren’t the stereotypical Cinderella team in the way they don’t rely solely on threes to get the job done. They emphasize getting to the rim and are very effective inside the three-point line. Virginia will certaintly have to play solid basketball to advance on Friday. Here are three keys to victory for the Cavaliers.

1. Defend the paint

Virginia is the best team in the nation in blocks per game and is also up there among the best in overall interior defense. With Ugonna Onyenso and Johann Gruenloh averaging 5.2 of the team’s 6.5 per game, those two have to be on top of their game with defending the…

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Publish date : 2026-03-20 12:02:00

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