Home VCU Rams VCU rallies from 19-point deficit to defeat North Carolina 82-78 in overtime in NCAA tournament first round

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Mar 20, 2026

VCU rallies from 19-point deficit to defeat North Carolina 82-78 in overtime in NCAA tournament first round

The VCU Rams, seeded No. 11, overcame a 19-point second-half deficit to beat the No. 6 seed North Carolina Tar Heels 82-78 in overtime in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 19 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.[1][2]

Terrence Hill Jr. scored 34 points for VCU on 13-of-23 field goal shooting, including 7-of-10 from three-point range. He sank a three-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime to give the Rams an 80-78 lead.

North Carolina led by 19 points with 15 minutes remaining in regulation. VCU tied the score at 75-75 on a layup by Hill with 11 seconds left after UNC missed free throws.

Seth Trimble's steal led to an open three-point attempt for UNC with 2.9 seconds left in regulation, but the shot missed. UNC went 0-for-7 from the field in overtime.

Nyk Lewis gave VCU a 77-75 lead with a layup at the 2:08 mark of overtime. Trimble tied the game on free throws but missed a layup after being fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws with 35 seconds left.

Henri Veesaar missed the first of two free throws for UNC with the Tar Heels trailing 80-78, allowing VCU to close out the victory.

The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament features 68 teams in a single-elimination format, with first-round games matching seeds 1-16, 2-15, 3-14, 4-13, 5-12 and 6-11.[3]

Bon Secours Wellness Arena, with a basketball capacity of 10,011, hosted first- and second-round games March 19-21.[1][4]

VCU competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference. North Carolina competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference.[5][6]