Wright State convincingly proved it was the best team in the Horizon League this season.
The Raiders went 23-11 overall and 15-5 in conference play during the regular season. Led by head coach Clint Sargent, they won the Horizon League Championship over Detroit Mercy 66-63.
Going into the NCAA Tournament, the Raiders have won five straight. But now No. 14-seeded Wright State will be tasked with trying to upset No. 3-seeded Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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The Cavaliers are 29-5 overall and 15-3 in the ACC standings, two games behind Duke. And Duke was the team that ended up beating Virginia in the ACC Championship, 74-70.
Despite that loss, Virginia seems poised for a good run in March Madness.
Virginia vs. Wright State Odds
Wright State is a +17.5 college basketball betting odds underdog against Virginia, with the Over/Under being 145.5 points as of this writing.
The moneyline for Virginia is -3000, while it’s +1150 for Wright State.
Virginia vs. Wright State On TV
The matchup between Virginia and Wright State will be televised on TBS. The game will tip off at 1:50 p.m. ET on Friday, March 20.
The contest is taking place at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Virginia vs. Wright State Prediction
I predict Virginia will win but Wright State will cover the 17.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Under 145.5 total points.
With Ryan Odom as their head coach, the Cavaliers have been pretty solid on the defensive end of the floor this year. I expect that will help them stave off an upset here.
Virginia ranks 13th in the country in defensive field goal percentage at 39.5% and is also 16th in rebounding margin (plus-seven) and 42nd in scoring defense (68.4 points per game allowed). Wright State is outside of the top 50 in all of those categories.
Led by Michael Cooper (13.4 PPG), TJ Burch (12.3 PPG and 3.5 assists per game), and Michael Imariagbe (11.8 PPG and seven rebounds per game), I think Wright State has enough talent to make this game somewhat competitive. But I ultimately believe Virginia will be too strong on defense and on the boards.
