Tar Heels Collapse Late as VCU Steals It in Overtime: Bye, Bye, Hubert?

North Carolina had this game exactly where they wanted it.

Up 70-56 with just over seven minutes to play, the Tar Heels were in full control. They were running VCU off the floor in transition, attacking the rim at will, and playing efficient basketball—evidenced by an absurd 18-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio through the first 29 minutes. The Tar Heels looked clearly like the better team, then it happened!

Then everything fell apart.

VCU flipped the script with a 12-0 run over a four-minute stretch that completely changed the tone of the game. What looked like a comfortable UNC win suddenly turned into a dogfight. With 15 seconds left in regulation, Hill blew by Derek Dixon for a game-tying layup at 75-75, and at that moment, you could feel the momentum had fully shifted.

Over time felt inevitable—and so did the result.

Give VCU credit. Phil Martelli Jr. pushed all the right buttons. His adjustments in the second half were spot-on, and he used his depth to keep fresh legs on the floor. Hill was phenomenal, and the Rams consistently made winning plays down the stretch.

But let’s be honest—this loss is on North Carolina. More specifically it’s on Hubert Davis, as it so often has been in the past.

Over the final 7:45 of regulation, UNC didn’t make a single field goal. They went 0-for-9 from the floor and just 4-of-9 from the free-throw line. Even worse, they turned the ball over seven times in the second half and overtime and didn’t record a single assist over the final 16 minutes of game time.

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The concerns coming into the tournament were clear: free-throw shooting and perimeter defense. And when the moment of truth arrived, those exact issues cost them. UNC shot just 60% from the line (12-for-20) and allowed VCU to hit 42% from three (11-for-26). Those numbers showed up in the biggest moments—Hill’s go-ahead three and a missed opportunity at the stripe by Veesaar that could have tied the game.

Another Early Exit for Carolina

And here’s the bigger issue—this isn’t a one-off.

For the second straight season, North Carolina is out in the first round. It’s now three first-round exits in their last four NCAA Tournament appearances, dating back to Roy Williams’ final season.

That’s not Carolina basketball.

In fact, you have to go all the way back to 1978–1980 to find a stretch this bad, when UNC lost in the opening round three consecutive years. That was considered one of the lowest points in program history—and this current run is starting to look uncomfortably similar.

Hubert Davis Feeling the Heat

There’s no way around it—Hubert Davis is officially on the hot seat.

Coming into the tournament, there was at least some built-in cushion. Caleb Wilson’s injury gave the program a bit of an excuse if things didn’t go perfectly. Maybe not a Final Four, but at least a second-weekend appearance would have stabilized things.

That cushion is gone now.

Blowing a double-digit lead late, getting outcoached in the second half, and failing to execute in crunch time—it’s a brutal look for a program that invested heavily in this roster.

There’s still goodwill toward Davis in Chapel Hill. He’s one of their own, and that matters. But this is North Carolina—results matter more.

And right now, the results aren’t good enough.

Next season isn’t just important—it’s make-or-break. That is if Hubert Davis can survive the weekend with his job intact, he shouldn’t!