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North Carolina legend had troubling reaction to team’s NCAA Tournament collapse

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Mar 20, 2026 4:08 PM ET

The North Carolina Tar Heels blew a 19-point lead to lose to VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, and one of their most famous players had a troubling reaction to that.

Former North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough admitted he was not shocked by the Tar Heels’ 82-78 overtime loss to VCU at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. More concerningly, he was not even surprised that the Tar Heels blew a 19-point lead in the defeat.

“I’m not stunned. We talked about it at halftime. You asked me, ‘You’ve got to be pretty happy.’ I said, ‘No, I’ve seen this story. I’ve seen this happen,'” Hansbrough said. “They’ve just had some lapses in games where they just go stale. Offensively, defensively, their competitiveness drops a little bit. They never step on anybody’s throat. When they have a little bit of a lead, they never step on their throat. That’s been something all year.”

UNC Legend Tyler Hansbrough wasn’t stunned whatsoever that UNC blew a 19-point lead to VCU.

(@TheFieldOf68) pic.twitter.com/8hcruK9zqm
— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) March 20, 2026

Hansbrough is not wrong. On Jan. 10, North Carolina saw a 15-point lead halfway through the second half get whittled down to a three-point victory over Wake Forest. On Feb. 23, the Tar Heels held off Louisville by three in a game they had once led by 16 in the second half.

The loss ends a disappointing season for the Tar Heels, who have now suffered back-to-back first-round losses in the NCAA Tournament. Both the loss and the nature of it reflect badly on coach Hubert Davis, who has been taking a lot of heat online over this outcome.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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