PHILADELPHIA — Jacari White scored a season-high 26 points and hit the go-ahead floater off the glass as No. 3 seed Virginia survived a tough test from No. 14 Wright State 82-73 in a Midwest Region first-round game of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
White made 6 of 8 3-point attempts, Sam Lewis scored 12 points, Malik Thomas added 11 and Thijs De Ridder had 10 for Virginia (30-5), which won a tournament game for the first time since its 2019 national championship.
The Cavaliers trailed by five at halftime but shot 56.5% from the field in the second half. A late 11-0 run was the difference, with White’s layup putting them ahead for good at 71-70.
They’ll face the winner between No. 6 Tennessee and No. 11 Miami (Ohio) in the second round Sunday.
Michael Imariagbe had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Wright State (23-12), the Horizon League champions. Solomon Callaghan added 18 points and combined with Imariagbe to shoot 9 for 15 from behind the arc. The Raiders made 13 3-pointers, the most Virginia has allowed this season.
Imariagbe had five 3-pointers after entering the day with just four in his entire 94-game career.
After the Raiders’ TJ Burch (15 points) broke a tie with a three-point play, White’s 3-pointer launched a 9-0 Virginia run for a 67-61 edge at the 8:18 mark. But the Raiders ripped off nine in a row themselves, capped by two technical free throws when Lewis accidentally tossed the ball into an opponent’s face after a whistle.
Following White’s go-ahead shot, Dallin Hall got a key offensive rebound and handed it off to Johann Grunloh under the basket to set up another two. Grunloh made it a 75-70 game one possession later and finished with eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
In a first half with 11 lead changes and six ties, Wright State established a 16-13 lead in a run of five made shots — including Callaghan’s first three 3-pointers.
White, a 3-point sniper off Virginia’s bench all season, knocked down three of his own to either take the lead or tie the game, but the Raiders answered each time.
Callaghan’s tiebreaking 3 with 1:32 left circled the drain and prompted a 7-2 run to close the half, handing Wright State a 43-38 edge.
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
