March 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Wright State Raiders forward Michael Imariagbe (33) plays against Virginia Cavaliers center Ugonna Onyenso (33) during the second half during the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Image | Bill Streicher-Imagn Image
No. 14 Wright State lost 82-73 to No. 3 Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament after a fiery performance that drew national attention.
The young Raiders turned the tables on the Cavaliers, hitting tough shots, battling on the boards all afternoon, staying in the game from start to finish and showing a composure well beyond their years despite the outcome.
“I’ll learn some things as a coach and I’ll be grateful when the time comes, but as far as the effort these guys put in, we told them early on that no one cares that you’re a freshman. There’s no reason you can’t walk on the stage with expectations for yourself and we always encourage them to make that choice,” Wright State head coach Clint Sargent said. “Don’t give in to the emotion of the game; you just keep making choices. That’s part of being a man. Making choices, and I think they do that in all the ups and downs of the game.”
Wright State’s first-year guard Michael Cooper and sophomore guards TJ Burch and Solomon Callahan combined for 46 points and hit timely shots for much of the game to give Wright State its chances. Just as importantly, the trio, led by Birch, accounted for seven steals and held Virginia to 14 turnovers on defense.
Knights coach Ryan Odom, who himself has led the Intermediate Majors to a Cinderella story, praised Sargent’s team for fending off an upset in the Senior Majors for the first time.
“I have nothing but praise for Wright State coach Sargent and his team. They gave it their all in the game. They gave us everything we could handle the whole game. It was a good, well-played game, a real competitive game,” Odom said. Their performance was a little different than what we expected for the game and how we prepared. They did a good job of driving and shooting 3-pointers, and they did a good job of dealing with our bigs. “
Michael Imariagbe was the only Wright State senior to play significant time in this game, making one 3-pointer this season and only four in his career. The veteran big man, to the surprise of Odom and probably everyone who watched the Raiders, had a traditional game from beyond the arc, providing the kind of unexpected offensive boost necessary for an upset.
In the first half alone, Imariagbe hit three three-pointers to help the Raiders take a 43-38 lead into halftime.
“My coaches and teammates gave me confidence. We kept practicing. I kept shooting,” Imariagbe said. “We don’t care if you miss, make it, ride or die for you. So they gave me the confidence that I can shoot today.”
The highlight of Imariagbe’s stat sheet today was his 3-point shooting and 19-point, 10-rebound double-double, but throughout the Raiders’ championship season, he was more than just a big man capable of scoring and rebounding at a high level.
When the final buzzer sounded at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena, Imariagbe’s career was over, but his impact on a young roster will continue beyond this season.
“I’m very proud. We had a great bond off the field and that carried it over to the field. As you can see, we became a good team and made history at Wright State,” Imariagbe said. “As a senior, I’m still learning a lot from these young guys. They give me advice and I give them advice and we just learn from each other.”
There were plenty of moments for the young Raiders that felt like the Cavaliers’ sheer talent and size provided enough momentum for the third-seeded team to get out of trouble, but as Sargent said before the game, his team refuses to die, and that’s what happened today.
Darin Hall was whistled off the game at 12:38 of the second half, but after Virginia appealed, Imariagbe was called for a flagrant foul, leading to Hall making two free throws and giving the Cavaliers the ball. In a tied game, the Raiders’ momentum fell off a bit, which could be a negative result.
Instead, Wright State got a stop and Dominic Pangonis responded with a three-pointer to regain the lead. There were only about 20 seconds left in the game, but it was a crucial stretch for the Raiders to avoid losing momentum.
Less than two minutes later, Burch finished the game with one shot, prompting a media timeout. After halftime, he hit a free throw to give Wright State a 61-58 lead, but Virginia then went on a 9-0 run to lead 67-61.
As the Raiders have done all season, they refused to roll over, allowing the Cavaliers to take complete control of the game, and they responded with a 9-0 run to regain the lead 70-67 with 5:32 left. In the end, Wright State took the final lead, but the Horizon League championship had zero exits.
“Yeah, I don’t think they’re wilted,” Sargent said. “Virginia was trying to win, too. They came back.”
This time, the Cavaliers went on an 11-0 run, extending the lead to 78-70 with 1:24 left on Jacari White’s dagger three-pointer. The Raiders couldn’t quite focus in the final seconds, and Virginia stepped up on defense to lessen the chances of a miraculous comeback late in the game.
Sargent and his staff worked hard to give their team a chance on the national stage, and they earned the right to do so after winning the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles.
Virginia, which won, will face No. 6 Tennessee in Sunday’s round of 32, and the season will come to an abrupt end for Wright State.
Despite the heartbreaking ending, the Raiders brought a championship level back to the Nutter Center in the second year of the Sargent era and never backed down on the national stage.
“These guys have given me a lot. When you dream of being a head coach, the time we shared was everything you dream of,” Sargent said. “What they poured into, not just me and my family, but each other. It was one of the most joyful things. That’s not even the right word, they were the most influential group of young people I’ve ever met.”
