North Carolina suffered a stunning 82-78 overtime loss to VCU after blowing a 19-point lead, the largest tournament collapse since 2018. Coach Hubert Davis offered terse defenses of his decisions in the postgame press conference, including his choice to use a short six-man rotation down the stretch. The Tar Heels missed their final nine shots and eight free throws to seal their fate.

VCU's Lazar Djokovic ignited the comeback with consecutive 3-pointers, responding to Henri Veesaar's trash talking about UNC's "brand." Seth Trimble played 43 minutes but couldn't score in the final 20 minutes as UNC's offense sputtered. Davis appeared baffled by questions about what went wrong, offering only "That was my decision" when asked about his rotation choices.

The loss marks UNC's second straight first-round exit, a pattern unseen since tournament expansion. Davis declined to address whether significant changes were needed, saying, "I'm just not there right now." The program's frustrated fan base now faces an uncertain future as a once-proud basketball program continues underperforming in March.