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

A Look at Upcoming Innovations in Electric and Autonomous Vehicles

pankoloslot.id

Mar 20, 2026

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

Virginia Commonwealth University defeated the University of North Carolina 82-78 in overtime in a first-round game of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 19, 2026, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.[1][2]

The No. 11 seed Rams rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit against the No. 6 seed Tar Heels, who led with 15 minutes remaining in regulation.

Terrence Hill Jr. sealed the victory with a three-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime, capping VCU's comeback.

Hill scored a game-high 34 points on 13-of-23 field goal shooting, including 7-of-10 from three-point range.

The game tied at 75-all with 11 seconds left in regulation on a Hill layup after North Carolina missed free throws. Seth Trimble's steal led to a three-point attempt with 2.9 seconds remaining that missed.

In overtime, VCU took a 77-75 lead on Nyk Lewis's layup with 2:08 to play. Trimble tied the score at the free-throw line but made only one of two attempts after a missed layup following a foul. VCU then regained the lead.

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

VCU outscored North Carolina 47-36 in the second half, shooting 62% from the field and 7-of-10 from three-point range. North Carolina went 0-for-7 from the field in overtime.

The VCU Rams compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference.[3] The North Carolina Tar Heels play in the Atlantic Coast Conference.[4] Bon Secours Wellness Arena has previously hosted NCAA tournament first-round games.[1]