PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – It’s been seven years since Virginia men’s basketball won their last NCAA Tournament game. They’re looking to break that dry spell on Friday when they tip off against Wright State in Philadelphia, a place where they hold just an 8-16 all-time record. .
It’s an exciting tournament for sure but in order to advance closer to a new Cavaliers championship, it will take immense focus. First year coach Ryan Odoma knows very well after he led UMBC to that incredible upset over UVA in 2018--the first instance of a No. 16 seed beating a No. 1 seed.
But, it’s less about Odom and more about his message that has the Cavaliers feeling prepared.
“The biggest thing for us is just to be us,” said Cavaliers senior guard Devin Tillis. “No game is bigger than the next one. Kind of just giving us that mentality to take one game at a time. I played in the NIT the last four years, so I know a little bit about tournament basketball. Obviously, not to this extent, but just sharing that we need to be us and just continuing to do the things that got us here, continue to thrive in our roles.”
“You had the first four, so our guys were able to watch that, and the energy and the enthusiasm with which those teams were playing with, the NC State and Texas game comes down to the wire,” said Virginia head coach Ryan Odom. “You can learn from those games initially. The momentum, the discipline that you have to play with in order to win. I think our guys understand that. But they’re going to be excited and there’s going to be jitters.”
If Virginia is able to play like itself, that should work. The team is averaging 80 points per game--a program best since the 2000-2001 season.