How to Watch No.3 Virginia vs No. 14 Wright State: Tipoff Time and TV Channel For Today's First Round Matchup

Virginia is back in action on Friday afternoon and will play in the first round against Wright State. Wright State finished No.1 in the Horizon League to punch their ticket to the tournament. They are led by freshman guard Michael Cooper, who is averaging 13.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. The Raiders have won five consecutive games coming in. Head coach Ryan Odom talked about the challenges that the right state possesses.

"Yeah, a lot of challenges. They're extremely well-coached. They know how they need to play on offense and defense in order to be successful. They put pressure on you at the rim, whether by the drive or the post-up. They're a really good passing team and cutting team. They cut behind the defense a ton to get easy baskets, and they defend really, really well. When you have that balance on both sides of the ball, you have a chance to advance in this tournament. They have our full attention, and we know that we're going to have to play well in order to win,” said Odom.

Here is how you can watch the game:

Date/Time: Friday, March 20 at 1:50 p.m. ET

Site: Philadelphia, PA, at Xfinity Mobile Arena

TV:TBS, streamed online at NCAA.com/march-madness-live and broadcast on WestwoodOneSports.com/madness, Westwood One Sports App

Radio: Virginia Sports Radio Network

Is this the start of a run?

latest — Mar 13, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas (1) and guard Chance Mallory (2) react in the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Virginia is well set up to make a run during the NCAA tourney. They have an experienced team mixed with some youth as well. The continuity has been the same all season for them, and coach Odom has had a steady rotation that he can lean on. When you have guys like Jacari White and Chance Mallory who can come in and score while giving starters like Sam Lewis and Malik Thomas a rest, coupled with good big man play in Johann Grunloh, Thijs De Ridder, and Ugonna Onyenso, it makes you tough to beat. You also can’t forget the consummate point guard who runs the show early in Dallin Hall before Mallory comes in to spell him. With a bracket that includes Michigan, Iowa State, Tennessee, and Kentucky, you have a shot at any of these games to pull off wins. The good thing for Virginia is that they won’t see these teams until later in the tournament if they handle business. Coach Odom talked about how he goes about keeping everyone focused.

"Yeah, I think you just have to control it. We try to limit what we do from a media standpoint. And just in terms of staying on social media, we encourage them before the season ever started to get off of social media and just lock in to the season. All that will be there once the season is over. They can return to their normal lives,” said Odom.

“Without being too guarded with it, we make sure that what they need to know, we let them know. I think you focus on it that way, and you just lock in to what the process is, and you're not having these peaks and valleys in terms of your emotions. I think you have a better chance of winning. These guys have been locked in all year, and they understand how we prepare now. Initially, we didn't because it was our first time doing it as a group. Now we have all these shared experiences through however many games we played at this point, and so they can lean on those experiences that happen throughout the season.”

If they stay focused, the sky is the limit.