UNC Basketball vs. VCU: Game preview, info, prediction and more

Story by

Zack Pearson, Tar Heels Wire

Wed, Mar 18, 2026 ·

4 min read

The North Carolina Tar Heels will open their NCAA Tournament on Thursday night in Greenville, matched against No. 11 VCU in the first round.

UNC (24-8, 12-6 ACC) earned the No. 6 seed in the South Region. It's a tough region for UNC especially without its best player, Caleb Wilson, who is out for the year. But this team is hoping it can go on a run and shock some people.

The Rams are the winners of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament and would have been left out of the field if they weren't. They are a good team with their leading scorer, Terrence Hill Jr., coming off the bench. In the first year under Phil Martelli Jr., the Rams have a deep rotation, going with 10 guys who can score and contribute throughout the game.

That's one of their strengths. The 34 points per game from the bench is seventh in the country and they shoot the basketball well from the 3-point line.

As for UNC, it is looking to avoid a second straight first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament. It lost to No. 6 Ole Miss a year ago after beating San Diego State in the First Four in Dayton. In 55 years of being in the tournament, North Carolina has lost in the first round six times. It has never lost in back-to-back years in that round.

This would be a historically bad stretch for UNC if it were to lose in the first round, marking the third such exit since 2021. It also missed the tournament in 2023.

Something to watch

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis in the huddle with his team during the first half against the Clemson Tigers at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Can UNC set the tone early? North Carolina is the favorite, but it's just a 2 1/2-point spread and while they are the favorite, VCU is playing that underdog role. Letting a team like VCU hang around in the game could be a problem for the Tar Heels.

They absolutely can't let VCU come out and dictate how this game is going to go. Instead, Hubert Davis' squad is going to need to set that tone early and show VCU how they are going to play this game.

Key to victory

Feb 28, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) with the ball as Virginia Tech Hokies guard Neoklis Avdalas (17) and forward Tobi Lawal (1) defend in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
(Bob Donnan, Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)

Rebounding. This has been a struggle for North Carolina pretty much all season. Typically Tar Heels teams are good at rebounding, but this year has been different. Part of the reason is the loss of Caleb Wilson. However, on the year UNC is allowing an opponent rebounding percentage of 29.6% which is 91st in the country.

The Tar Heels are going to have to find a way to win the rebounding battle.

Statistical leaders

Feb 14, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) and center Henri Veesaar (13) on the bench in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Points

UNC: Caleb Wilson (19.8)

VCU: Terrance Hill (14.4)

Rebounds

UNC: Caleb Wilson (9.4)

VCU: Lazar Djokovic (5.4)

Assists

UNC: Caleb Wilson (2.7)

VCU: Terrance Hill (2.8)

What you need to know

WHAT? VCU Rams (27-7, 15-3 A10) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (24-78 12-6 ACC)

WHEN? Thursday, March 19 at 6:50 p.m. ET

WHERE? Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greeeville, South Carolina

TV? TNT. (Ian Eagle, Bill Rafferty, Grant Hill, and Tracy Wolfson)

RADIO? SiriusXM (Channel 193)

LINE? UNC -2 1/2

LAST MEETING? N/A

ALL-TIME SERIES: First meeting

2025-26 UNC Basketball Schedule

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis reacts in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

October 4: Blue-White Scrimmage (White 55, Blue 50)

Oct. 24: at BYU (preseason, L 78-76)

Oct. 29: vs. Winston-Salem State (preseason, W 95-53)

Nov. 3: vs. Central Arkansas (W, 94-54)

Nov. 7: vs. Kansas (W, 87-74)

Nov. 11: vs. Radford (W, 89-74)

Nov. 14: vs. NC Central (W, 97-53)

Nov. 18: vs. Navy (W, 73-61)

Nov. 25: vs. St. Bonaventure in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (W, 85-70)

Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (L, 74-58)

December 2: at Kentucky (W, 67-64)

Dec. 7: vs. Georgetown (W, 81-61)

Dec. 13: vs. USC Upstate (W, 80-62)

Dec. 16: vs. ETSU (W, 77-58)

Dec. 20: vs. Ohio State in CBS Sports Classic (W, 71-70)

Dec. 22: vs. East Carolina (W, 99-51)

Dec. 30: vs. Florida State (W 79-66)

January 3, 2026: at SMU (L 97-83)

Jan. 10, 2026: vs. Wake Forest (W 87-84)

Jan. 14, 2026: at Stanford (L 95-90)

Jan. 17, 2026: at California (L 84-78)

Jan. 21, 2026: vs. Notre Dame (W 90-69)

Jan. 24, 2026: at Virginia (W 85-80)

Jan. 31, 2026: at Georgia Tech (W 91-75.)

Feb. 2, 2026: vs. Syracuse (87-77)

Feb. 7, 2026: vs. Duke (W 71-68)

Feb. 10, 2026: at Miami (FL) (L 75-66)

Feb. 14, 2026: vs. Pitt (W 79-65)

Feb. 17, 2026: at NC State (L 82-58)

Feb. 21, 2026: at Syracuse (W 77-64)

Feb. 23, 2026: vs. Louisville (W 77-74)

Feb. 28, 2026: vs. Virginia Tech (W 89-82)

March 3, 2026: vs. Clemson (W 67-64)

March 7, 2026: at Duke (L, 76-61)

March 12, 2026: vs. Clemson (L, 80-79) (ACC Tournament)

March 19, 2026: vs. VCU (NCAA Tournament)

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: NCAA Tournament: UNC basketball vs. VCU preview, prediction and more