‘Hoos 82, Wright State 73: UVA rallies late to advance in NCAA Tournament

Game Details

• Wright State (23-11, #14 seed, Midwest) vs. Virginia (29-5, #3 seed, Midwest
• Day/Time: Friday, 1:50 p.m. ET
• TV: TBS

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Forecast

• KenPom: Virginia 81-65
• BartTorvik: Virginia 80-64
• ESPN BPI: Virginia +16.2

Wright State rotation

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• 6’3” freshman Michael Cooper: 13.4 ppg, 44.9% FG, 36.4% 3FG
• 6’1” sophomore TJ Burch: 12.3 ppg, 3.5 assists/g, 2.5 steals/g, 46.0% FG, 34.3% 3FG
• 6’7” senior Michael Imariagbe: 11.8 ppg, 7.0 rebounds/g, 58.9% FG, 16.7% 3FG
• 6’2” sophomore Solomon Callaghan: 9.9 ppg, 41.0% FG, 38.6% 3FG
• 6’7” sophomore Dominic Pangonis: 9.0 ppg, 47.5% FG, 38.3% 3FG
• 6’9” freshman Kellen Pickett: 8.7 ppg, 5.4 rebounds/g, 56.4% FG, 28.0% 3FG
• 6’6” sophomore Andrea Holden: 6.3 ppg, 4.0 rebounds/g, 57.0% FG
• 6’5” junior Logan Woods: 5.4 ppg, 45.0% FG, 33.3% 3FG

Virginia rotation

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• 6’9” freshman Thijs de Ridder: 15.5 ppg, 6.2 rebounds/g, 50.8% FG, 34.0% 3FG
• 6’5” senior Malik Thomas: 12.4 ppg, 3.9 rebounds/g, 41.2% FG, 34.3% 3FG
• 6’6” junior Sam Lewis: 10.8 ppg, 3.6 rebounds/g, 46.2% FG, 40.7% 3FG
• 5’10” freshman Chance Mallory: 9.5 ppg, 3.7 rebounds/g, 3.6 assists/g, 42.1% FG, 34.9% 3FG
• 6’3” senior Jacari White: 8.8 ppg, 45.2% FG, 43.0% 3FG
• 7’0” freshman Johann Grunloh: 7.2 ppg, 5.2 rebounds/g, 2.2 blocks/g, 53.4% FG, 35.0% 3FG
• 7’0” senior Ugonna Onyenso: 6.7 ppg, 5.0 rebounds/g, 3.0 blocks/g, 56.4% FG, 28.6% 3FG
• 6’4” senior Dallin Hall: 5.9 ppg, 4.3 assists/g, 41.9% FG, 32.7% 3FG
• 6’7” senior Devin Tillis: 4.3 ppg, 40.0% FG, 37.7% 3FG

Analytics: Wright State vs. UVA

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Data: KenPom; rankings: among 365 D1 teams

Points per possession

Virginia offense: 1.223 PPP (28)
Wright State defense: 1.110 PPP (193)

Wright State offense: 1.121PPP (117)
Virginia defense: 0.958 PPP (16)

Rebounds

Offensive-Virginia: 38.0% (10)
Defensive-Wright State: 70.8% (121)

Offensive-Wright State: 33.2% (98)
Defensive-Virginia: 71.4% (91)

Turnover rate

Virginia offense: 15.9% (128)
Wright State defense: 16.5% (184)

Wright State offense: 16.3% (154)
Virginia defense: 15.6% (249)

Shooting zones-Virginia offense vs. Wright State defense

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Per game FGs/FGAs; Data: CBB Analytics

Virginia in the paint: 16.5/29.0, 57.0%
Virginia threes: 10.1/28.1, 35.9%
Virginia FTs: 20.0 FTA/g, 72.6%

Wright State D in the paint: 13.7/28.9, 47.3%
Wright State D on threes: 6.8/22.1, 30.8%
Wright State opponent FTs: 19.5 FTA/g

Shooting zones-Wright State offense vs. Virginia defense

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Per game FGs/FGAs; Data: CBB Analytics

Wright State in the paint: 18.6/32.7, 55.8%
Wright State threes: 6.3/18.8, 33.6%
Wright State FTs: 22.2 FTA/g, 74.5%

Virginia D in the paint: 13.8/29.2, 47.2%
Virginia D on threes: 6.9/22.2, 30.9%
Virginia opponent FTs: 19.5 FTA/g

Pregame from the rafters

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Pregame

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Lucky me, got a seat in the balcony media overflow section.

Wherever you are, you are literally closer to the floor than I am.

For perspective on how fringe I am, here are our Google Analytics numbers on our most read UVA Athletics stories dating back to the beginning of the 2025-2026 sports season on Aug. 30:

1. I’ve had it up to here with the folks who run UVA Athletics (12,820 page views)
2. UVA Football: Ticket sales sluggish for season finale (11,259)
3. UVA Football announces dismissal of starting offensive lineman (10,476)
4. Parent of student injured in UVA-FSU field storm pleas for change (10,408)
5. UVA Football: What’s the word on the status of Chandler Morris? (9,239)
6. UVA Athletics is running its basketball, football fans off in droves (7,239)
7. Jahmal Edrine attorney comes out firing: We know when UVA knew (6,969)
8. UVA Football: Elliott reportedly getting pushback on three plays in ACCCG (6,020)
9. UVA Football: ‘Hoos might have to make do without J’Mari Taylor (5,643)
10. Looks like UVA Athletics is going to name the court at JPJ for Tony Bennett (5,561)
11. UVA Football: Unexpected big losses to transfer portal (5,050)
12. UVA Basketball: What’s up with four-star big Silas Barksdale? (4,890)
13. UVA Basketball: How are last year’s guys doing? (4,564)
14. UVA Basketball: ‘Hoos humble Will Wade, NC State (4,235)
15. What UVA Basketball fans need to know about Duke (4,144)

Nobody’s reading, which is why the legacy guys are on the court, and there are planes flying banners between me and the court.

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National anthem photo

Game coverage

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First media timeout: Virginia 5-2, 15:38/1st

Two buckets and four turnovers on the first eight possessions.

And just dumb turnovers – Malik Thomas dribbling into traffic at midcourt, Thijs de Ridder into traffic at the top of the key on a secondary break.

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Second media timeout: Wright State 16-13, 11:57/1st

Wright State already has four made threes.

Season average: 6.3 per game.

They don’t attempt a lot, either – which could be bad for them long-term in this one.

They could be seducing themselves into gripping and ripping.

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Third media timeout: Wright State 24-23, 6:58/1st

Michael Imariagbe is 2-of-2 from three. On the season: 16.7 percent.

Feels to me that Virginia is about to make a run.

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Virginia timeout: Wright State 34-32, 3:22/1st

Wright State is 7-of-15 from three.

I said in the pregame, they would need to do something different, because they wouldn’t win straight up.

The ball movement is killing the Virginia D. There was no one in the area code on the last made three.

Michael Imariagbe was not only 16.7 percent from three coming in, that was because he was 1-of-6 on the season.

He’s 3-of-5 here today.

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Half: Wright State 43, Virginia 38

Not hard to analyze this one: Wright State has 43 points on 31 offensive possessions, with eight made threes, two above their season average.

They’re 8-of-18 from three; season average: 6.3/18.8.

Just one turnover on those 31 possessions.

Virginia had seven turnovers. Wright State only scored four points off them, but that’s seven chances to get a shot off wasted.

Virginia shot 15-of-31 from the floor and 7-of-15 from three, and trails by five.

Easy to say what needs fixing – closeouts on threes.

It’s not like they weren’t scheming that up during each of the media timeouts as it was happening.

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Wright State timeout: Game tied at 43, 17:39/2nd

Wright State is 0-of-1 with three turnovers to start the second half, so the coach is trying to get a reset here.

Virginia ran a nice set on its first possession to get Malik Thomas an open three.

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Media timeout: Virginia 51-50, 13:34/2nd

This one is right there for somebody to go on an 8-0 or 10-0 run and take control of.

The Virginia defense has been better in the second half thus far – WSU is 2-of-7 from the floor with three turnovers on 10 possessions.

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Deadball timeout: Game tied at 53, 12:38/2nd

Michael Imariagbe, 1-of-6 all season on threes, is 4-of-7 today.

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Media timeout: Wright State 60-58, 11:08/2nd

We’re officially on upset watch now. Wright State weathered the early good D, and has made its last five shots.

Ryan Odom seems to have no answers, but to be fair, WSU is 11-of-25 from three, basically doubling its season average of makes.

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Media timeout: Virginia 67-61, 7:52/2nd

It’s winning time. Virginia on a 9-1 run, getting stops, getting buckets.

It’s not about x’s and o’s here; it’s about want to.

Onyenso has been the liability on D: on the floor for all four of Imariagbe’s threes.

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Wright State timeout: Virginia 73-70, 2:59/2nd

I’d have Grunloh on the floor the rest of the way.

And White. And Lewis.

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Final: Virginia 82-73

That escalated quickly.

Virginia closed on a 15-3 run.

Another Jacari White win: 26 points, 10-of-12 FG, 6-of-8 3FG.

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