No. 11 seed VCU rallied from a 19-point deficit to defeat No. 6 seed North Carolina 80-78 in overtime in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 19, 2026, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Rams shot 62% from the field in the second half, including 7-of-10 from three-point range, outscoring UNC 47-36 in that period to force overtime. VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr. scored 34 points on 13-of-23 shooting, with 7-of-10 from three, including 23 points in the second half and overtime and the game-winning three-pointer.
UNC's Henri Veesaar missed the first of two free throws with his team trailing 80-78 late in overtime, sealing the Tar Heels' elimination. The victory was VCU's first NCAA tournament win since 2016.
During the postgame news conference, VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. interrupted a question from Ben Rekosh, director and on-air commentator for WVCW Sports, the university's student radio station, to praise the student media team.
"I am gonna shout you guys out. I know there's a lot of professional media, our student media, the best in the country. They are unreal. Unreal, unreal," Martelli said. "Three of these guys drove in a snowstorm — I'm not sure why they did it — to Davidson to cover us in Davidson. They came out to St. Louis, they've been everywhere along the way."
Martelli added that the students had missed a game for Valentine's Day but showed dedication unmatched by paid media. "They're not paid to be here, and they show up every single day, every single game," he said.
Rekosh thanked Martelli and continued his question. VCU, from the Atlantic 10 Conference, advances to the second round. The Rams reached the Final Four in 2011 but have had limited success in recent NCAA tournaments.[1]
North Carolina, from the Atlantic Coast Conference, entered as the higher seed after a regular season that included multiple NCAA titles historically.[2]
Bon Secours Wellness Arena has hosted NCAA tournament games in previous years.[3]
Sources
- Virginia Commonwealth University Rams men's basketball - Wikipedia. Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VCU_Rams_men%27s_basketball
- North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball - Wikipedia. Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_Tar_Heels_men%27s_basketball
- Bon Secours Wellness Arena - Wikipedia. Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Secours_Wellness_Arena
