March Madness 2026: VCU Stuns North Carolina in Overtime Thriller
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
Terrence Hill Jr. was the standout performer, scoring 20 of his 34 points after halftime and finishing 7 for 10 from three-point range. His driving layup with 11 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 75, forcing overtime. In the extra period, after Seth Trimble put North Carolina ahead 78-77 with a free throw, Hill nailed a three-pointer from beyond the top of the key to give VCU an 80-78 lead.
Nyk Lewis added 16 points for VCU, including two clutch free throws with seconds remaining to seal the game. The Rams shot an impressive 62% from the field in the second half and made 7 of 10 three-pointers to erase the deficit. This marks VCU's first NCAA Tournament win since 2016, and they will face the winner of No. 14 Penn and No. 3 Illinois in the second round on Saturday.
North Carolina's Collapse
For North Carolina, Henri Veesaar led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds, but the Tar Heels struggled after star Caleb Wilson was ruled out for the season with an injury, going 0-3 in his absence. They built a 19-point lead with 15 minutes remaining but couldn't hold on. In the final seconds of regulation, Veesaar lost the ball out of bounds, giving VCU a chance to win, but Trimble's steal and missed three-pointer sent the game to overtime.
In overtime, Veesaar was fouled with 4.2 seconds left but missed the first free throw, and his attempt to intentionally miss the second backfired, allowing VCU to secure the rebound and ice the game with free throws.
Other Notable Upsets and Results
High Point Stuns Wisconsin
No. 12 seed High Point pulled off a major upset, defeating fifth-seeded Wisconsin 83-82. Chase Johnston made a fast-break layup with 11.7 seconds left for the game-winning basket, finishing with 14 points. Rob Martin added 23 points and 10 assists 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. "It looks pretty obvious to me that high majors need to play mid-majors during the season, because they said we ain't played nobody," Clayman said. "We played somebody now." High Point will face No. 4 seed Arkansas in the second round.
Duke Survives Scare Against Siena
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, but Duke trailed for much of the game before going on an 11-0 run in the final eight minutes to take control. Gavin Doty scored 21 points for Siena, who threatened to become just the third No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 in tournament history.
Nebraska Ends NCAA Drought
No. 4 seed Nebraska ended their long NCAA Tournament drought with a 76-47 rout of No. 13 seed Troy. Pryce Sandfort scored 23 points, including seven three-pointers, as the Cornhuskers secured their first tournament win in program history. Nebraska, previously 0-8 in March Madness, will face No. 5 seed Vanderbilt in the second round.
Additional First-Round Highlights
- No. 9 TCU 66, No. 8 Ohio State 64: David Punch's entry pass led to a game-winning layup by Xavier Edmonds with 4.3 seconds left.
- No. 6 Louisville 83, No. 11 South Florida 79: Isaac McKneely scored 23 points as Louisville held on despite nearly squandering a 22-point lead.
- No. 5 Vanderbilt 78, No. 12 McNeese State 68: Tyler Tanner had 26 points to lead Vanderbilt's comeback from a 12-point deficit.
- No. 3 Michigan State 92, No. 14 ND State 67: Carson Cooper had 20 points and 10 rebounds in a dominant win for the Spartans.
- No. 4 Arkansas 97, No. 13 Hawaii 78: Darius Acuff Jr. scored 24 points as Arkansas cruised to victory.
- No. 1 Michigan 101, No. 16 Howard 80: Morez Johnson Jr. had 21 points on perfect shooting for the Wolverines.
- No. 2 Houston 78, No. 15 Idaho 47: Houston routed Idaho in their tournament opener after last year's championship loss.
- No. 3 Illinois 105, No. 14 Pennsylvania 70: David Mirkovic's 29 points and 17 rebounds led Illinois to a blowout win.
- No. 11 Texas 79, No. 6 BYU 71: Matas Vokietaitis had 23 points and 16 rebounds to upset BYU.
- No. 10 Texas A&M 63, No. 7 Saint Mary's 50: Rashaun Agee's 22 points powered Texas A&M to an upset.
- No. 9 Saint Louis 102, No. 8 Georgia 77: Dion Brown scored 18 points as Saint Louis set a school record for wins.
- No. 3 Gonzaga 73, No. 14 Kennesaw State 64: Graham Ike's 19 points helped Gonzaga hold off a tenacious Kennesaw State team.
The NCAA Tournament continues with second-round action on Saturday, featuring more thrilling matchups and potential upsets.
