The North Carolina Tar Heels, coached by Hubert Davis, just suffered a loss of epic proportions against an opponent that was not expected to defeat them on the national stage.
On Thursday, March 19, Davis and his squad were up against coach Phil Martelli’s VCU Rams in the first round of the South Region of the 2026 NCAA tournament on neutral grounds, the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
To the surprise of the college basketball world, the Rams defeated the North Carolina-based program by four points, 82-78, in an overtime thriller. With the Tar Heels getting eliminated in the first round of March Madness and VCU moving on to the next round, @ESPNInsights on X/Twitter pointed out that this is the first time since 1985 that UNC has lost in the first round in consecutive Big Dances.
The Tar Heels, much to their dismay, are now on the wrong side of making history with the aforementioned statistic. To add to the drubbing, UNC blew a 19-point lead against the Rams in regulation, which is said to be the biggest lead lost in March Madness history. A potential game-winning three-pointer was missed by UNC guard Seth Trimble, causing the game to go into overtime, where VCU pulled away with the win.
North Carolina finished the 2025-26 campaign with an overall record of 24-9 (12-6 ACC).
Former UNC Tar Heels Star John Henson Weighs In On His Alma Mater’s Loss
In a video posted by @CBSSportsCBB on X/Twitter, former North Carolina Tar Heels star John Henson was asked to share his thoughts on the UNC-VCU Rams matchup.
For Henson, it was nothing short of a total collapse on the part of his former squad. He said UNC could not buy a bucket while VCU got hot.
“ Yeah, lack of composure, and when they were running their offense, they just weren’t getting good shots. They weren’t turning the corner. It was almost like they were flustered, right? They didn’t know what to do. And Terrence Hill Jr. just kept coming and kept getting layups and kept getting good shots and just, you know, credit to VCU, man. Carolina, total collapse down the stretch. This is a bad loss,” Henson said.
Read More: ACC Champions Predicted as Hubert Davis’ May be Fuming at UNC Snub Days After Huge Win
Also Read: Hubert Davis’ UNC Hit With Nepotism Claims By Fans As Kenny Smith’s Son Makes Major Recruiting Stride
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