Greenville, South Carolina (March 19, 2026) - Terrence Hill Jr. drained a go-ahead three-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime, capping a comeback from a 19-point deficit as the No. 11 seed VCU Rams defeated the No. 6 seed North Carolina Tar Heels 82-78 in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

The Rams outscored North Carolina 47-36 in the second half, shooting 62% from the field and 7-for-10 from three-point range to force overtime after trailing by as many as 19 points with 15 minutes remaining in regulation. Hill led VCU with 34 points on 13-of-23 field goals, including 7-of-10 from beyond the arc.

With 11 seconds left in regulation, Hill's layup tied the score at 75-all after North Carolina's Seth Trimble missed a potential game-winning three-pointer following a steal with 2.9 seconds remaining. In overtime, VCU's Nyk Lewis scored a tough layup for a 77-75 lead with 2:08 to play. Trimble responded by tying the game on free throws but rimmed out a layup after being fouled with 35 seconds left, making only one of two attempts from the line.

North Carolina's Henri Veesaar missed the front end of a one-and-one with the Tar Heels trailing 80-78, allowing VCU to close out the victory. The Tar Heels went 0-for-7 from the free-throw line in overtime.

VCU, representing the Atlantic 10 Conference from Richmond, Virginia, advanced to the second round for the first time since reaching the Final Four as an 11th seed in 2011.[1] The win marked the Rams' first NCAA tournament victory since defeating Austin Peay 68-60 in the First Four on March 16, 2021.[2]

North Carolina, the ACC's Tar Heels from Chapel Hill and six-time national champions (1924, 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009),[3] saw their tournament end despite holding a double-digit lead late in regulation.

Bon Secours Wellness Arena, with a basketball capacity of about 10,200, has hosted NCAA tournament first- and second-round games in previous years, including 2019 and earlier cycles.[4]

VCU awaits the winner of the second first-round matchup in its bracket region for the second round, scheduled for March 21, 2026.

Sources

1. VCU Rams men's basketball Wikipedia page. "VCU Rams men's basketball." Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VCU_Rams_men%27s_basketball
2. NCAA.com. "VCU 68, Austin Peay 60: Rams punch ticket to second round." March 17, 2021. https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2021-03-17/vcu-beats-austin-peay-first-four
3. North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball Wikipedia page. "North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball." Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_Tar_Heels_men%27s_basketball
4. Bon Secours Wellness Arena Wikipedia page. "Bon Secours Wellness Arena." Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Secours_Wellness_Arena