Virginia Cavaliers March Madness Hub: Schedule, Seed, Opponent, and Path to Final Four

The Virginia Cavaliers are officially in the Big Dance.

There was no doubt, of course, about whether the Hoos were going to get in, but it was about where, what seed, and the opponent. Virginia is going to be the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region and they are going to be playing No. 14 seed Wright State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Philadelphia. Wright State won the Horizon League conference tournament and will be a tough first-round opponent for the Cavaliers. The Raiders have a 23-11 record coming into the Tournament.

Virginia and Wright State will tip off at 1:50 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon.

PHILLY BOUND 🔜#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/YolVU8FhzC
— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) March 15, 2026

Looking at the region

Mar 14, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Jacari White (6) dribbles the ball against the Duke Blue Devils during the men's ACC Conference Tournament Championship at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

NEW: The March Madness Midwest Region is set📍https://t.co/OnxHvknwzV pic.twitter.com/10ORZfs3XP
— On3 (@On3) March 15, 2026

If Virginia is going to make it to the Final Four, it is going to have a tough path ahead of them.

Virginia should get by Wright State (never say never) and then they will face the winner of Tennessee vs SMU/Miami (OH). There was a lot of discussion around whether or not the RedHawks would make the field after going undefeated in the regular season and then losing in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament, but they are in and will need to beat SMU in the First Four to earn a matchup with Tennessee in the first round.

If Virginia wins its first two matchups, they will advance to play in the Sweet 16 and face one of Iowa State (2 seed), Kentucky (7 seed), Santa Clara (10 seed) or Tennessee State (15 seed).

If they face the higher seed from that group, it would be a fantastic matchup with the Cyclones. Iowa State was close to knocking off Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament Semifinals and have the pieces on their team to be a legitimate national championship contender. That will not be an easy matchup if it is the Cyclones and UVA would find themselves as an underdog in that game.

What it its not Iowa State? More than likely it would be either Kentucky or Santa Clara, barring an unbelievable first two rounds from Tennessee State. Kentucky has a lot of talent on its team, but has not played at a high level with any consistency. Santa Clara is a tough team, but I like that matchup quite a bit for the Hoos.

What about the top of the bracket?

Michigan has been viewed as one of the national championship favorites all season long, but they have looked vulnerable this week at the Big Ten Tournament. They squeaked by Ohio State in the quarterfinals and then used a buzzer-beater to defeat Wisconsin in the semifinals. They lost to Purdue in the Big Ten Championship earlier today.

Georgia (8 seed) and Saint Louis (9 seed) are talented teams, but I don't think either has what it takes to beat Michigan in the second round.

Texas Tech is an interesting team. They are down their best player, JT Toppin, and are not the team that they were at the beginning of the season or when they had him. Alabama is the No. 4 seed and has the highest scoring offense in the country, but has major defensive issues and just lost to a 13-win Ole Miss team in the SEC Tournament.

If UVA faces the highest possible seed in each round, they will have to beat Wright State, Tennessee, Iowa State, and Michigan to get to the Final Four.