The VCU Rams, seeded No. 11, rallied from a 19-point deficit in the second half to defeat the No. 6 seed North Carolina Tar Heels 82-78 in overtime during the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The game took place on March 19, 2026, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.[1]
North Carolina led by 19 points with 15 minutes remaining in regulation. VCU tied the score at 75-75 on a layup by Terrence Hill Jr. with 11 seconds left. Seth Trimble's three-point attempt for North Carolina at the buzzer missed.[2]
In overtime, both teams struggled from the field, with North Carolina going 0-for-7. Nyk Lewis gave VCU a 77-75 lead with a layup at the 2:08 mark. Trimble tied the game at the free-throw line after a foul, but missed the second attempt following a layup.
Hill Jr. then made a three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining to put VCU ahead 80-78. Henri Veesaar missed the first of two free throws for North Carolina with seconds left, sealing the Rams' victory.
Hill Jr. led VCU with 34 points on 13-of-23 field goal shooting, including 7-of-10 from three-point range. The Rams advance to the second round; their opponent will be determined by other first-round results.
VCU represents the Atlantic 10 Conference, while North Carolina competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The NCAA tournament first round features 32 games matching seeds 1 through 8 against 9 through 16 in each of four regionals.[3][4]
Bon Secours Wellness Arena has a seating capacity of 15,951 and has hosted NCAA tournament games in prior years.[1]
Sources
- Bon Secours Wellness Arena - Home page - Accessed October 2024 - https://bsec.com/
- NCAA - 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament bracket explanation (format consistent across years) - March 17, 2024 - https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/d1/article/2024-03-17/2024-ncaa-di-mens-basketball-bracket-march-madness-printable-pdf
- VCU Athletics - Men's Basketball - Accessed October 2024 - https://vcuathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball
- University of North Carolina Athletics - Men's Basketball - Accessed October 2024 - https://goheels.com/sports/mens-basketball
