March Madness 2026: VCU Stages Epic Comeback to Oust North Carolina in Overtime
In a stunning first-round upset at the NCAA Tournament, 11th-seeded VCU rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit to defeat sixth-seeded North Carolina 82-78 in overtime on Thursday night. Terrence Hill Jr. hit a crucial stepback three-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime, capping a remarkable comeback for the Rams.
Hill's Heroics Lead VCU to Victory
Hill finished with 34 points, including 20 after halftime, and went 7 for 10 from three-point range. Nyk Lewis added 16 points, sealing the game with two clutch free throws in the final seconds. VCU (28-7) shot an impressive 62% from the field in the second half and forced overtime after tying the game at 75 with 11 seconds left on a driving layup by Hill.
For North Carolina (25-8), Henri Veesaar had 26 points and 10 rebounds, but the Tar Heels struggled without star Caleb Wilson, who was ruled out for the season with an injury. In overtime, Seth Trimble put UNC up 78-77 with a free throw, but Hill's three-pointer gave VCU the lead for good. Veesaar missed a critical free throw with 4.2 seconds left, and Lewis iced the game at the line.
Other Notable Upsets and Close Calls
In other first-round action, No. 12 seed High Point pulled off a dramatic 83-82 win over fifth-seeded Wisconsin. Chase Johnston made a fast-break layup with 11.7 seconds remaining for the Panthers, who were 10.5-point underdogs. After the game, High Point coach Flynn Clayman lashed out at power-conference schools for refusing to schedule mid-major programs like his during the regular season.
No. 1 overall seed Duke barely avoided a shocking upset, rallying from 13 points down to beat 16th-seeded Siena 71-65. Cameron Boozer led the Blue Devils with 22 points and 13 rebounds, as Duke improved top seeds' record to 159-2 against No. 16 seeds in tournament history.
Nebraska ended its NCAA Tournament drought with a 76-47 rout of Troy, marking the Cornhuskers' first win in nine tournament appearances. Pryce Sandfort scored 23 points, including seven three-pointers, for the No. 4 seed.
Additional First-Round Results
- No. 9 TCU edged No. 8 Ohio State 66-64 on a late layup by Xavier Edmonds.
- No. 6 Louisville held off No. 11 South Florida 83-79 behind Isaac McKneely's 23 points.
- No. 5 Vanderbilt rallied to beat No. 12 McNeese State 78-68, led by Tyler Tanner's 26 points.
- No. 3 Michigan State dominated No. 14 North Dakota State 92-67, with Carson Cooper scoring 20 points.
- No. 4 Arkansas cruised past No. 13 Hawaii 97-78, setting up a second-round matchup with High Point.
- No. 1 Michigan beat No. 16 Howard 101-81, with Morez Johnson Jr. scoring 21 points on perfect shooting.
- No. 2 Houston routed No. 15 Idaho 78-47, while No. 3 Illinois overpowered No. 14 Penn 105-70.
- No. 11 Texas upset No. 6 BYU 79-71, and No. 10 Texas A&M defeated No. 7 Saint Mary's 63-50.
- No. 9 Saint Louis blew out No. 8 Georgia 102-77, and No. 3 Gonzaga held off No. 14 Kennesaw State 73-64.
The second round continues on Saturday, with VCU set to face Illinois, and Duke taking on TCU in key matchups.
