CLIMBING THE HILL: VCU overcomes 19-point deficit to advance, topples UNC

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

GREENVILLE, S.C. — VCU’s Terrence Hill, Jr. scored a game-high 34 points, including a clutch three in overtime, to help the No.11 seed Rams upset the No. 6 seed North Carolina Tar Heels Thursday, 82-78.

Hill’s heroics capped off a 19-point comeback for VCU and sent North Carolina to a second straight exit in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

“I just told the guys that this was the perfect microcosm of our season,” VCU coach Phil Martelli, Jr. said. “They have been as resilient as any group I have ever coached.”

UNC jumped to a quick 5-0 lead on an old-fashioned three-point play by Jarin Stevenson. VCU answered with a 8-0 run of its own, capped by Barry Evans. The teams traded baskets  until Zayden High put the Tar Heels back in front with four straight paint points. Hill then splashed a three to tie the game at 13 midway through the first half.

The teams traded triples, but a three from Derek Dixon and layup from Seth Trimble saw the Tar Heels grab a 24-18 advantage. UNC kept that working margin and began to push it out on a breakaway dunk by Trimble, making the tally 32-21 at the 4-minute media stoppage.

Another Trimble dunk made the tally 36-21 before Hill ended the run with a three. Henri Veesaar answered with a triple of his own, but Hill converted a layup at the halftime buzzer to bring the Rams a little closer as they trailed at the half, 39-28.

Veesaar converted an old fashioned three-point play early in the second half, and moments later, Stevenson turned the same trick. As a result, UNC led, 48-30. A four-point play by Hill silenced the pro-Carolina crowd for a bit, but a steal and layup by Trimble brought the noise back and gave the Heels a commanding 56-37 lead with 14:57 left.

A VCU timeout led to a pair of threes from the Rams’ Lazar Djokovic. Veesaar’s good game continued with a trey of his own. Michael Belle added a driving layup, as did Nyk Lewis, shrinking the UNC lead to 61-49. Jonathan Powell restored order for the Tar Heels with a three-point play, while Veesaar knocked home another triple. Hill refused to let VCU go quietly with a driving layup.

Stevenson and Hill traded triples, but three-point plays from Lewis and Belle cut the deficit to 70-65 with 4:12 left.  Hill added a deep three and a driving layup before Veesaar threw down a dunk to keep UNC in front, 74-70, with 2:14 left.  Hill’s jumper made the tally 75-73 with 29.3 seconds left in regulation. The defense forced a turnover and Hill tied the game with a layup. The Tar Heel shot at the buzzer was off the mark as the game went into overtime tied at 75.

In the extra session, neither side scored for the first three minutes until Lewis hit a driving layup. Trimble hit a pair from the charity stripe on the other end. After Trimble hit one of his next two foul shots, Hill played hero once again with a deep three. Veesaar missed free throws on the other end and Lewis hit his as VCU completed the comeback to win, 82-78.

O HENRI: Hill’s performance overshadowed that of Tar Heel center Henri Veesaar. He had a massive double-double of 26 points while pulling down 10 rebounds. Despite playing 42 of 45 minutes, Veesaar said he did not feel like the Tar Heels wore down.

“I feel like in March, it doesn’t really matter if you play 40 minutes or 25 minutes, you feel the same way because just the level of energy and adrenaline and the effort you have,” he said. “It makes no difference.”

CLIMBING THAT HILL: UNC had its biggest lead of 19 points with 14:58 left in the contest. From that point, Hill exploded for 20 of his 34 points.

“Coach was kind of on us at halftime after missing easy layups,” Hill said. “We had to go to the basket, finish strong and settle in. I felt like I was not myself in the first half. Going into the second half, I wanted to be as aggressive as possible. When the plays were there for me to make them, I was going to make them.”

OUR RAM IS BETTER: UNC is one of the bluebloods of college basketball who just so happens to share a similar mascot with VCU. The Tar Heels have an undeniable legacy, but Hill says VCU’s history is growing.

“VCU has a great history behind us,” Hill said. “We want to represent it as much as possible. This is back-to back years coming to the NCAA Tournament. It doesn’t matter who we play, UNC, it just doesn’t matter. We have the same mindset every game.”

UP NEXT: VCU (28-7) advances to the second round for the first time since 2016 and will take on  Illinois on Saturday at 7:50 p.m., while UNC’s season ends at 24-9.