No. 11 VCU rallies from 19 down to force OT, beat No. 6 North Carolina

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Terrence Hill Jr. scored a game-high 34 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime to help No. 11 VCU rally for an 82-78 win over sixth-seeded North Carolina in a first-round East Region matchup on Thursday.

Nyk Lewis added 16 points and Lazar Djokovic chipped in 15 for VCU (28-7), which trailed by 19 points in the second half.

The rally was the sixth biggest in NCAA Tournament history and second biggest for a second-half comeback, behind only Nevada's 22-point rally against Cincinnati in 2018. The record for a tournament game is BYU's rally from a 25-point deficit against Iona in the 2012 First Four.

"That game was the perfect microcosm of who this group has been," Rams coach Phil Martelli Jr. said after the win. "They've been resilient as much as any group I've ever been around. We've done it all year. ...They've shown it time and time and time again, and today on the biggest stage was one of those days."

Henri Veesaar led North Carolina (24-9) with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Seth Trimble scored 15. Derek Dixon and Jarin Stevenson scored 11 points apiece for the Tar Heels, who failed to reach the second round for the second straight year after playing in the First Four and first round in 2025.

"Just really sad that we're not continuing to play and to move forward because I have loved and enjoyed this team," North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said. "I enjoy and love all of them, but I've just really enjoyed coaching this team. I really wanted this group and these kids to experience more."

Neither team scored in overtime until Lewis' layup with 2:08 left gave VCU its first lead, 77-75, since the 10:08 mark of the first half.

Trimble made two free throws at the 2:02 mark, then split a pair of foul shots with 35 seconds remaining for a 78-77 edge. Hill then hit the go-ahead trey with 15 seconds left. Veesaar was fouled on a layup with 4.2 seconds left, missing the first and then failing to hit the rim on an intentional miss.

Lewis then iced the game with two free throws.

"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."

North Carolina opened the second half on a 9-2 run, pushing its lead to 18. Hill's four-point play and Brandon Jennings' triple helped VCU cut into the margin, but Dixon's 3-pointer and Trimble's layup gave the Tar Heels a 56-37 advantage.

Michael Belle's triple got the Rams back within 12 with 10:03 left in the second half, but Veesaar answered with his third 3-pointer to give the Tar Heels a 67-52 lead. VCU clawed back to slice the gap to five on Belle's three-point play at the 4:12 mark.

After Lewis' steal, Hill's deep 3-pointer cut the deficit to two. Dixon and Hill then traded baskets, before Veesaar's dunk and free throw pushed North Carolina's lead to 75-70 with 1:59 remaining.

Hill's stepback jumper was followed by Lewis' split of two free throws, trimming the margin to 75-73 with 31 seconds left.

After North Carolina's 5-second violation, Hill weaved in for a game-tying layup with 11 seconds remaining. The Tar Heels continued to implode as Veesaar committed a turnover on the ensuing possession, giving the ball back to VCU with 2.9 seconds left.

VCU then turned the ball over, but Trimble missed a game-tying triple as time in regulation expired.

"Coach was kind of on us at halftime about missing easy layups, that we had to go to the basket and finish strong and settle in;" Hill said. "I felt like I wasn't myself in that first half. Going into the second half, I wanted to be as aggressive as possible. When the plays were there for me to make them, I was going to make them. And if my teammates were open, I was going to hit them."

--Jack Batten, Field Level Media