UNC's Hubert Davis Explains What Went Wrong in Historic Collapse vs. VCU, 'There Were Mistakes'
No. 6 seed UNC men's basketball blew a 19-point second half lead en route to an 82-78 overtime loss to No. 11 seed VCU in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday.
After the game, UNC head coach Hubert Davis spoke with reporters (h/t USA Today) about the factors that he felt led to the defeat.
"Because you miss a shot doesn't mean something wrong. We had open looks, we had shots at the basket, we had executed plays, and we missed eight free throws. And sometimes the ball doesn't go in...
"You really want to compliment VCU, their resiliency in down 19 to keep trying to find a way.
"I also felt like just the small details in order for a team to come back, they have to be good enough and resilient enough to do that and VCU was, but also believe that there were mistakes made that help them come back, that at times we've done that all year."
UNC's loss (and VCU's win) marks the second-biggest comeback in the last 10 years in NCAA men's tournament history. Only Nevada's 22-point comeback against Cincinnati in 2018 en route to a 75-73 win stands above this game.
UNC was up 56-37 with 14 minutes remaining and 70-59 with five minutes left. However, VCU went on a quick 9-0 run in just over a minute to cut the lead to 70-68 with just under four minutes in regulation.
Still, UNC appeared to be in control up 75-70 with possession and a minute-and-a-half left on the clock. However, it all went south from there, and Terrence Hill Jr. tied the game at 75 with a layup with 11 seconds left.
Neither offense got much going in overtime, but Hill, who finished with a game-high 34 points, hit a stepback three with 15 seconds left to put VCU up 80-78.
UNC big man Henri Veesaar, who led the Tar Heels with 26 points and 10 rebounds, got fouled while shooting with four seconds left.
However, he missed the front end and then didn't hit the rim on the second attempt while trying to create an offensive board, giving the ball back to the Rams. VCU sealed this game with a pair of free throws.
This was a crushing loss for Davis' UNC squad, which has had a rough NCAA tournament showing since nearly winning it all in 2022 before falling to Kansas in the national championship. The Tar Heels missed the tournament in 2023 but got the No. 1 seed in 2024. UNC fell in the Sweet Sixteen to Alabama, though, and then lost in the first round last year to Ole Miss.
Now Davis' squad has endured two straight first-round exits. Certainly, the presence of star forward and potential top-five NBA draft pick Caleb Wilson, who is out for the season after suffering a right thumb injury, could have helped the Tar Heels make a deep tournament run (and also given UNC a better seed as it stands).
In the end, though, UNC had a great chance to advance and could not get it done against a fierce VCU team.
