VCU Comes Back To Finish Tar Heels In OT, 82-78

Thursday, March 19

Greenville, S.C.

6:50 p.m.

North Carolina

24-9,12-6ACC

VCU (first round)

28-7,15-3Atlantic 10

OT 1

VCU

North Carolina

Photo by: Maggie Hobson

March 19, 2026 | Men's Basketball

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By: Matt Bowers

GREENVILLE, S.C. — VCU overcame a 19-point, second-half deficit and beat North Carolina, 82-78, in overtime in the first round of the NCAA South Regional on Thursday night at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

The sixth-seeded Tar Heels led, 56-37, with 14:58 remaining in the second half before the 11th-seeded Rams outscored Carolina, 45-22, in the final 20:02 to advance to Saturday's second round. VCU hit 15 of its last 19 shots in regulation to close the gap and force the extra period.

The Rams won for the 17th time in their last 18 games and improved to 28-7 this season. Carolina's 2025-26 campaign is over at 24-9.

VCU's Terrence Hill Jr. scored a career-high 34 points off the bench, including 23 in the second half and overtime. He hit 7 of 10 three-pointers and 13 of 23 shots overall, adding five rebounds and five assists. His layup with 11 seconds left in the second half forced overtime, and he hit a crucial three-pointer with 15 ticks remaining in the extra period to put the game away.

In the second half, the Rams shot 62.1 percent from the floor, including 7 for 10 from three-point range, while the Tar Heels shot only 44.8 percent and took over half of their shots from behind the arc, making just 5 of 15. UNC was only 8 for 15 (53.3 percent) from the free throw line after halftime.

"I just told the guys that that game was the perfect microcosm of who this group has been," VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. said. "They've been resilient as much as any group I've ever been around. We've done it all year. Second game of the year we went down 17 against Utah State. Came all the way back, tied the game. I knew right then and there, I said we've got something here. We've got something because we have that resilience and you can't be successful without it.

"They've shown it time and time and time again, and today on the biggest stage was one of those days. For everybody else watching, this is March. This is what March does."

Carolina's Henri Veesaar was perhaps the best player on the court for much of the night, leading the Tar Heels to a big lead late in the first half and scoring enough down the stretch to keep the Rams behind until late in the second half. After setting career highs with 28 points and 17 rebounds against Clemson last weekend, Veesaar provided more of the same with 26 points, 10 boards and four assists in 42 minutes against the Rams.

His heroics weren't enough, however, as VCU outscored UNC, 54-39, after halftime and the Ram reserves, led by Hill, dominated the Carolina bench, 42-7.

Seth Trimble starred in a losing effort in his final game as a Tar Heel, posting 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 43 grueling minutes. Point guard Derek Dixon continued the strong end to his freshman season with 11 points, three three-pointers, six assists and five rebounds. Jarin Stevenson scored 11 points and grabbed eight boards.

"In overtime, we were getting great looks, shots just weren't falling," Trimble said. "I think overtime was as simple as that. I think in the second half we just slowed down too much, got a little tense and we weren't playing as loose as we were playing the whole game. That makes a difference."

Nyk Lewis had 16 points and seven rebounds for VCU, including hitting a pair of free throws with three seconds left in overtime to ice the game, while Lazar Djokovic scored 15.

Ultimately, however, Hill was the difference-maker in a career-best effort for the sophomore who has started just two games this season.

How It Happened
First Half
• After UNC took an initial 5-0 advantage, VCU used an 8-0 run to lead, 8-5, at the first timeout. Carolina missed seven of its first eight shots.
• Both teams struggled offensively in the early going. UNC missed 12 of its first 17 shots, while the Rams missed 11 of their first 17.
• Carolina ripped off a 9-0 burst, hitting 5 of 6 shots, to take its biggest lead to that point at 26-18.
• UNC held VCU without a bucket for 11 of 12 possessions and took a 32-21 lead at the final media timeout of the half with 3:10 to go until halftime.
• Veesaar led all players with 13 points and five rebounds in the first half, adding two assists.
• The Tar Heel defense held VCU to just 10 of 29 shooting in the first half (34.5%), while dominating points in the paint (22-12) and fast break points (9-0).
• Carolina led by as many as 15 points in the opening half at 39-24 with 1:02 remaining.

Second Half
• The Tar Heels continued to play well early in the second half as Veesaar passed the 20-point threshold for the eighth time this season before the first media timeout after the break.
• Carolina built its lead to 19 points five minutes into the half at 56-37, but the Rams shot well and stay within striking distance.
• VCU hit 8 of 9 shots and held the Tar Heels scoreless for 2:12 to pull within 11 points at 67-56 at the under-8:00 media timeout. The Rams hit 11 of their first 19 second-half shots.
• Minutes later, VCU went on an 9-0 run and held Carolina scoreless for another three minutes to cut the UNC lead to 70-65 with 4:12 to go.
• After the timeout, Hill hit a three-pointer to make it a 12-0 run and pull the Rams within a basket at 70-68.
• VCU closed the second half on a 19-5 run after trailing, 70-56, with 7:11 left in the second half.
• The Rams held UNC without a field goal in the final 2:44 of regulation.

Overtime
• Carolina's only overtime points came on three Trimble free throws while VCU had a 7-3 scoring advantage to seal the win.