White helps Virginia avoid yet another NCAA early exit

PHILADELPHIA — In a program haunted by premature tournament departures, Virginia steadied itself behind a pivotal performance from White, dodging what has become an all-too-familiar March fate. First-year coach Ryan Odom, mindful of the Cavaliers’ history of early exits, gathered his team before tipoff and played the 2019 “One Shining Moment” montage from Virginia’s national-championship run, a reminder of the program’s ceiling when poised under pressure. The film session appeared to resonate as the Cavaliers protected their bracket life, ensuring the season would not end in the opening weekend that has tripped them so often in recent memory.