Greenville, South Carolina (March 19, 2026) - Terrence Hill Jr. hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime, capping a comeback from a 19-point deficit as the VCU Rams defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 82-78 in the first round of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
The game took place at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.[1] VCU, representing Virginia Commonwealth University in the Atlantic 10 Conference,[2] forced overtime after Hill's layup tied the score at 75 with 11 seconds remaining in regulation.
North Carolina's Seth Trimble stole the ball and attempted a three-pointer with 2.9 seconds left, but the shot missed, sending the contest to overtime.
In the extra period, VCU took a 77-75 lead on Nyk Lewis' layup with 2:08 remaining. Trimble responded with a tie-up after being fouled, but missed the potential and-one layup and made only one of two free throws.
Hill sealed the victory at the line before his dagger three. North Carolina's Henri Veesaar missed the front end of a one-and-one with the score 80-78 in favor of VCU.
Hill led VCU with 34 points on 13-of-23 field goals, including 7-of-10 from three-point range. The Rams shot 62% from the field in the second half (47-36 scoring edge) to erase UNC's 19-point lead taken with 15 minutes left in regulation.
The victory marked VCU's first NCAA Tournament win since a 75-67 first-round defeat of Stephen F. Austin in 2014.[2]
North Carolina, from the Atlantic Coast Conference, went 0-for-7 from the field in overtime.[3]
Sources
- BON SECOURS WELLNESS ARENA Official site, Arena Information, accessed October 2024, https://www.bonsecoursarenagreenville.com/
- Wikipedia, VCU Rams men's basketball, accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VCU_Rams_men%27s_basketball
- University of North Carolina Athletics, Men's Basketball Roster, accessed October 2024, https://goheels.com/sports/mens-basketball
