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No. 11 VCU stuns No. 6 UNC with clutch shots, huge comeback
VCU Rams guard Terrence Hill Jr. (6) celebrates after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels in overtime of a first-round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament. Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

No. 11 VCU stuns No. 6 North Carolina with clutch shots, huge comeback

Down 19 points to six-seed North Carolina with 15 minutes to play, the Virginia Commonwealth Rams didn't panic. And in the biggest moments, backup guard Terrence Hill Jr. didn't miss.

Hill tied the game with 12 seconds to go with a layup that sent the game to overtime. Trailing by a point in the extra period, Hill drilled a 26-foot three-pointer with 15 seconds left to give 11-seed VCU the go-ahead basket in an 82-78 win.

Terrence Hill Jr. led a historic comeback

VCU's 19-point comeback was the largest in the history of the NCAA Tournament's first round. The Rams slowed down the Tar Heels' offense late and Hill carried the VCU offense, finishing 7-for-10 on threes and 13-for-23 overall.

Hill shattered his previous career-high of 24 points, but looked unrattled when his team turned to him down the stretch. Even when Hill sank his final shot and put VCU on the brink of a huge upset, he didn't even smile after draining what might end up as the biggest shot of his life.

And when the Tar Heels did chase Hill on the perimeter, he raced to the basket and used a monster screen to get to the rim for a late tie.

North Carolina's promising season ended in disappointment

The upset loss is a disappointing end to a promising Tar Heels season, in which they went 24-9 and were ranked as high as No. 11 in the country. But they lost super-freshman Caleb Wilson, a likely high lottery pick, to a broken hand and a subsequent broken thumb, which cost them their leader in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals.

It's the second straight first-round tournament loss for the Tar Heels and coach Hubert Davis. They did win a First Four game as a No. 11 seed, but couldn't stage the upset against a No. 6 seed.

Hill and VCU pulled it off. Now they're headed to the second round and a chance to shock the world again.

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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