The No. 11 VCU basketball added to the stunning first day of the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
The Rams battled back from a 19-point deficit and shocked the college basketball world with an 82-78 overtime win against the No. 6 seed North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, thanks in large part to the huge performance of sophomore guard Terrence Hill Jr.
Coming off the bench. Hill seemed to be a man overlooked by North Carolina, as he went off for 34 points on 13-for-23 shooting from the field. He was feeling all night long, particularly from behind the arc, as he sank seven of his 10 attempts from deep, including the biggest shot of the contest.
With 15 seconds left in overtime and North Carolina ahead by a point, Hill hit a stepback 3-pointer that gave the Rams the lead for good.
VCU LEADS ‼️#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/GsJ0arWPNz
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026
The Rams' blistering offense in the second half forced the game to go to overtime. They shot 62 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes of regulation and made seven 3-pointers during that stretch.
North Carolina junior center Henri Veesaar dominated in and out of the paint, with 26 points and three 3-pointers, but VCU basketball found a way to counter the big man by shooting the lights out from the perimeter. All told, the Rams shot 11-for-26 from the 3-point area.
This is the first time that VCU has advanced to the second round of March Madness since 2016, when Will Wade was still the program's head coach.
Now coached by Phil Martelli Jr., the Rams will next face the winner of the matchup between the No. 3 seed Illinois Fighting Illini and No. 14 Pennsylvania Quakers.




















