PHILADELPHIA, PA (WTKR)- Virginia fans were on top of the world in April of 2019. Their Cavaliers were on top of college basketball, hoisting their first national championship at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The Wahoos' NCAA Tournament showing since then has been anything but stellar. Since that 2019 triumph, UVA is 0-3 in the Big Dance with first round losses to Ohio (2021), Furman (2023) and a First Four drubbing at the hands of Colorado State (2024).
Ryan Odom has Cavalier Nation thinking Virginia is on the brink of reversing course. Winners of 13 of their last 15 games, the Cavs enter the 2026 tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, 29-5 after a tight ACC championship game loss to Duke and take on Wright State Friday afternoon in hopes of tipping off a deep run into the bracket.
UVA is averaging 80.6 points per game, the highest point output the program has seen in more than two decades and different that the methodical defense-first style played by the Cavaliers under Tony Bennett. The Cavaliers average more than 28 three-point attempts per game and make around 10.
The orange and blue can crash the glass, entering the NCAA Tournament No. 18 nationally with 40.21 rebounds per game.
Odom's squad is still performing at the defensive end, holding opponents to 68.4 points per outing. The Cavaliers lead the country in blocks with 6.5 per game, paced by Ugonna Onyenso, who tallies nearly three swats per contest by himself. He had nine blocks this past Saturday alone, setting an ACC title game record, part of 21 total blocks during the tournament, which also signified a new high-water mark. The Cavs also hold teams to 39.53 percent from the floor, good enough for 13th in the country.
Thijs De Ridder paces Virginia with 15.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, pacing three Cavaliers averaging in double figures. Malik Thomas chips in 12.4 points per game, while Sam Lewis adds 10.8 points per contest. Chance Mallory, Jacari White and Onyenso give Odom plenty of depth off the bench.
The head coach himself has taken four teams to the Big Dance and is 1-3 in the event. Odom put his stamp on March Madness, when his UMBC Retrievers became the first No. 16 seed to top a No. 1 seed in 2018, topping the Virginia program he currently leads. The lead Wahoo has also guided Utah State and VCU to the field of 68.
UVA will take on a Wright State squad that enters 23-11 on the year and has won five in a row and 18 of its last 22. The Raiders claimed the Horizon League crown to punch their ticket to the tournament.
With a win Friday afternoon, Virginia would advance to Sunday's second round against either Tennessee or Miami (OH).
WTKR News 3 sports director Marc Davis is in Philadelphia following the Cavaliers and will have coverage both on-air and online throughout the tournament.
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