Sophomore guard Terrence Hill Jr. etched his name into NCAA Tournament lore, drilling the go-ahead three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining to lift No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth University to an overtime victory over No. 6 University of North Carolina, completing a 19-point second-half comeback in the first round on Friday morning (Manila time) at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Hill, the 2024 NBTC Most Outstanding Player, poured in a career-high 34 points, shooting an efficient 7-of-10 from beyond the arc and 13-of-23 overall, to power the Rams’ remarkable rally.
Trailing 56-37 with just under 15 minutes left in the first half, and later 70-56 with 7:11 remaining, VCU’s comeback appeared improbable — until Hill ignited a 14-2 run, narrowing the gap to 72-70 with 3:05 on the clock.
Hill’s layup with 11 seconds left tied the game at 75-all, forcing overtime.
Overtime proved no different.
Freshman guard Nyk Lewis gave the Rams the early lead with a layup, but UNC briefly reclaimed the advantage at 78-77 on a Seth Trimble free throw.
Hill then delivered the dagger, a trey that put VCU up 80-78.
After UNC missed two crucial free throws, Lewis sealed the win with two free throws, completing one of the most dramatic first-round victories in tournament history.
VCU’s bench dominated UNC’s, outscoring them 42-7.
This marks VCU’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2016 and the 14th in program history, with Hill’s 34 points setting a new single-game scoring record for a Ram in the tournament.
The Rams will now face No. 3 seed Illinois on Sunday, riding the momentum of one of the biggest comebacks in NCAA history.
