UNC men’s basketball saw its postseason end Thursday night, as the Tar Heels blew a 19-point second-half lead and fell in overtime to No. 11 seed VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Carolina (24-9, 12-6 in ACC play) failed to score a field goal during the extra frame after going through a dry offensive spell with the Rams mounting their comeback. The loss marks the second consecutive year where Hubert Davis’ team lost in the first round of March Madness and closes the 2025-26 season on a three-game losing streak. It also marks senior Seth Trimble’s final game with the program and spells another offseason that may be turbulent with the transfer portal.
Following the final buzzer, many media members took to social media to share stats about Carolina’s collapse — the largest in first-round history of the NCAA Tournament.
FINAL: VCU 82, UNC 78.The Tar Heels' 19-point blown lead is the largest by any team in the history of the men's NCAA Tournament.VCU's Terrence Hill Jr. is the first player off the bench with at least 30/5/5 since Indiana's Kent Benson in 1975.
— Matt Norlander (@norlander.bsky.social) 2026-03-20T01:21:01.963Z
Additionally, plenty of Tar Heel fans vented their emotions — like frustration, disappointment and sadness — on social media. After a tumultuous initial four seasons at the helm of UNC men’s basketball, Davis faced significant criticism online Thursday night and many posters either debated or called for the head coach to depart the program.
Here are some of the highlights in the wake of Thursday’s loss:
Bad news: the Tar Heel men's basketball season is overGood news: the Tar Heel men's basketball season is over
— Max Sloan (@maxsloan.blog) 2026-03-20T01:25:03.296Z
Featured photo by Todd Melet/Chapel Hill Media Group. For a full photo gallery of the game, click here.
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