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Final Score: VCU 82, UNC 78 (OT).
That was an all-time choke job by the Tar Heels who do not even make a field goal in the overtime! The Tar Heels played with its food and let VCU hang in the game. VCU got the game to its style in the last 10 minutes of the second half. Terrence Hill, Jr. scores 34 points on 7-of-10 from three. Freshman Nyk Lewis (16 points) was huge for the Rams in the second half. UNC was up by 19 at one point in the second half but lost the intensity. The Tar Heels made bone-head decision after bone-head decision, chucking threes, missing front ends, getting a late five-second violation trying to inbound the ball, and turning the ball over. That loss is one which should result in a serious discussion about whether Hubert Davis should be back next year. Congrats to VCU and shame on the Tar Heels! Apparently, this is the largest comeback in the second half of a first-round game in NCAA Tournament history! The Rams will take on the winner of Penn and Illinois, which is coming up next. Make the jump to see the final game stats and my live running reactions of this shocking collapse by the Tar Heels.
Overtime Live Reactions
VCU can salt this game away at the line. Lewis is shooting a one and one! He makes the first and...MAKES THE SECOND!
VCU leads 80-78 with 4.2 seconds left after a Hill three. Vessaar is at the line and MISSES THE FIRST! AND MISSES THE SECOND WITHOUT EVEN HITTING THE RIM!
Trimble is fouled on a dribble drive with 35.7 seconds left. Trimble misses the first, hits the second. 78-77 UNC.
Game is tied at 77 with 49.7 seconds left. Both teams are gassed, going 1/12 in overtime. UNC hasn't had a field goal in more than 10 minutes! VCU has been without a timeout after the failed challenge. UNC has the ball and has called a timeout. A lot of shots are coming up short for both teams.
UNC's Dixon is looking like a freshman, taking another ill-advised three. VCU is at the line with four minutes left but misses.
We have another review after VCU wins the opening tip and misses a contested three on a bad opening possession for the Rams. The ball was called off VCU. Man, oh man, UNC is playing with fire. Will the Tar Heels get burned? UNC seems discombobulated. This would be an all-time collapse, though VCU has fought its way uphill since the last 10 minutes of the second half. There is 4:32 remaining. UNC needs to slow down and run some offense through Veesaar, who needs to kick out and get the ball back. UNC has attempted four more threes (27) than VCU (23), which is mind-boggling.
End of Regulation: UNC 75, VCU 75.
We have our first overtime of the tournament, and the first for each team this season. Trimble steals an inbound pass to Hill, Jr. at the three-point line, rushes up court and shoots a three that is not close. UNC has totally bumbled the end of this game, taking two questionable threes, missing the front end of a one and one, and having two turnovers. VCU has the momentum here! Hill, Jr. has 31 points.
Second Half, Final Four Minutes Live Reactions
UNC turns the ball over with 2.4 seconds left! VCU HAS A SHOT TO WIN THIS GAME IN REGULATION!
Game is tied at 75-75 with 8.1 seconds left. Hill, Jr. hit a big jumper earlier and now gets a layup. UNC is collapsing. Trimble missed the front end of a one-and-one, but UNC got the ball back on a deflection. VCU then forced a five-second violation on the inbound. UNC needs to go inside to Veesaar here.
UNC leads 75-70 with 1:15 remaining. VCU calls a timeout. The Rams had a turnover and Hill, Jr. missed a shot. UNC just shot an inexplicable three with way too much time on the shot clock. Phil Martelli, Jr. calls a good timeout.
Second Half, Under-4 Live Reactions
UNC leads 74-70 with 2:25 remaining as the Tar Heels call a timeout following a VCU turnover. The Rams have gotten the game to two points twice thanks to the heroics of Hill, Jr., who hit a deep three and had a great drive to the rim. He is willing VCU back into this game. UNC finally ran offense and got a nice mid-range curl jumper for Dixon and a lob for Veesaar.
UNC leads 70-65 with 4:13 remaining as the refs review whether a ball was off VCU. It looks like the Rams will get the ball back. VCU has swung this game, by attacking the rim and making it frenetic. The Rams are on a 9-0 run, and UNC hasn't scored in nearly four minutes. The Tar Heels have really been making poor decisions and have taken their foot off the glass. This is a team that doesn't handle prosperity well, and VCU is scratching and clawing is way back into the game, not settling for threes but attacking the rim and drawing fouls. I have officially found an under-the-radar player for next season in VCU's Nyk Lewis. This kid knows how to attack and finish at the rim.
UNC leads 70-59 with 5:26 remaining as the refs review whether a Trimble foul is flagrant. It has been ruled a common foul.
Second Half, Under-8 Live Reactions
UNC Timeout with 7:30 remaining. UNC leads 67-56. Give VCU a lot of credit. The Rams are not quitting, having scored on 8 of its 9 last possessions. Freshman guard Nyk Lewis has had several nice finishes at the rim. The kid has some game. Hill, Jr., also had a craft finish under the hoop. UNC has been sloppy and not as good on both ends. The Tar Heels are settling for too many threes and need to pound the ball inside to Veesaar. VCU has cut the points in the paint to 30-22. Defensively, UNC needs to pick it up as the Rams are starting to get this game to their frenetic style.
Second Half, Under-12 Live Reactions
UNC leads 61-47 with 11:04 to go. A nice job by the Tar Heels after Hubert Davis called a timeout. UNC went right inside to Stevenson, who didn't finish but hustled down his miss, leading to VCU knocking the ball out of bounds. UNC has been getting all of the loose balls this half. VCU is just overmatched athletically.
UNC leads 61-47 with 11:30 to go. VCU has picked up its scoring, with Djokavic hitting two threes, and Hill, Jr. and Michael Belle getting floaters in the mid-range. The problem for the Rams is they can't stop UNC. Bogavac gets to the rim, hangs and hits a tough banker. Veesar matches a Djokavic three. This game is up-and-down; while VCU has scored four straight points, the Rams will not be able to stop Carolina from scoring. UNC just needs to avoid jacking up quick threes.
Second Half, Under-16 Live Reactions
North Carolina leads 56-37 with 14:57 remaining. Turn off the lights. The party's over. Carolina is clicking on offense, with its focus on getting the ball on the inside now opening up threes. The Tar Heels had beautiful ball movement leading to a Trimble corner three. Out of the post Veesaar then found Dixon in the opposite corner for a three. The Tar Heels just forced a turnover leading to another Trimble layup. The lead could be more if not for a Hill, Jr. four-point play on a made three (plus the foul) and a Brandon Jennings three. This game is getting out of hand quickly. For North Carolina, it will be important to keep this edge as the Tar Heels will be playing for Saturday shortly.
North Carolina leads 45-30 with 17:08 remaining as the refs check for a shot-clock error. There has been no major development in this game. UNC's on-ball pressure is giving VCU fits. The Tar Heels have run two great sets to get Veesaar and-ones.
Halftime Thoughts
VCU is going to have to bring better defensive effort, similar to what Ohio State was able to do during a second-half comeback against TCU today. VCU needs to turn the Tar Heels over and get someone else to hit a three besides Hill. Also, it would make sense to run some offense through Djokovic and see if some baseline cuts could lead to easier layups. UNC just needs to keep bringing the on-ball pressure as the Rams are struggling handling it. It is no coincidence that better UNC defense led to better offense. Normally, this would be a time to switch over to a different game. However, with UNC the possible second-round opponent for Illinois (if the Illini get by Penn tonight), this second-half might be scouting time. :-)
Halftime Score: UNC 39, VCU 28.
Hill gets a layup at the buzzer as UNC has a defensive breakdown, which has been rare as of late. The Tar Heels have cut off the dribble drive and the lane. On offense, the Tar Heels are getting down hill at will, with Trimble feeding Veesaar for a dunk. Veesaar also hit a three during this stretch. VCU has 4 turnovers, and UNC has 8 points off of those mistakes. Additionally, UNC has a 22-12 advantage with points in the paint. UNC ratched up its defense after the Under-12 timeout and has been the better team. VCU's Hill has kept the Rams alive with 11 points on 3-4 for deep. The rest of the Rams are 0-9 from deep. Unless North Carolina loses focus in the second half, it is hard seeing VCU win this game at this pace.
First Half, Under-4 Live Reactions
North Carolina leads 32-21 with 3:13 remaining. Well, the Tar Heels have settled in, going on a 15-3 run during the last six minutes. VCU has just one field goal during that time period. Trimble does a great job anticipating in the passing lane, leading to a steal and highlight-reel dunk on the break. Bogavac was good in this spurt, with a strong defensive rebound, nice assist to Vessaar off a curl, and then a smooth mid-range jumper on the baseline. Vessaar has gotten two easy buckets, including a dunk. VCU has missed a lot of shots at the rim tonight and are just 2/11 from deep. It is always a bad idea to run with UNC. If VCU doesn't knock down threes, the Rams are in trouble. UNC plays this style of game better.
First Half, Under-8 Live Reactions
UNC leads 24-18 with 7:43. A case in point about UNC's sudden defensive effort. The Tar Heels force a VCU shot-clock violation out of the timeout. The Tar Heels have made 8 out of their last 13 shots after starting 1/9 from the field. This is an important stretch for both teams, for UNC to try to stretch this lead and for VCU to hang in. The Rams' offense has stalled out a bit since big man Djokovic went out after getting swiped across the face.
VCU Timeout. North Carolina leads 24-18 with 8:37 to go. The Tar Heels are on a 7-0 run following a Seth Trimble layup in transition. The Tar Heels have hit three outside shots in this stretch, including two threes from Derek Dixon and a long deuce by Luka Bogavac. VCU's Hill has a second three, off a nice offensive rebound by Jadrian Tracey. UNC is struggling to contain the penetration and clear the defensive glass. Yet the perimeter D has picked up the last two possessions, leading to UNC runs out and secondary transition jumpers.
First Half, Under-12 Live Reactions
Game is tied at 13-13 with 11:33 remaining. This game is at an up-and-down pace, with a lot of missed layups. If you like made jump shots, change the channel. VCU's Terrence Hill Jr. hit the first outside shot of the game, a three with just a little more than 12 minutes remaining. Combined, the two teams are 1/10 from three. VCU has missed a lot of layups while UNC scored all 8 points in the paint, with sophomore reserve Zayden High going 2-for-2 for four points. This feels like a playground game at the moment. Which team settles in first will be important for establishing a lead. UNC's Jarin Stevenson has two early fouls.
First Half, Under-16 Live Reactions
VCU leads 8-5 with 15:36. The Rams are on an 8-0 run. So far VCU big man Lazar Djokovic (6 points) has been better than Veesaar, who is getting good touches in the post but not finishing. UNC is clearly trying to feed the paint; VCU is swarming as expected. Both teams are off to rough shooting starts. UNC is 1/8 (12.5%) while VCU is 3/9 (33%).
Prediction: North Carolina
Without freshman star Caleb Wilson, North Carolina is a trendy team to be upset in the first round, especially when considering that VCU has won 17 of 18 games. With that said, UNC is playing in Greenville, South Carolina, which should lend itself to a home-court advantage. Expect UNC to win a close game thanks to senior guard Seth Trimble and Arizona transfer big man Henry Veesaar.
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