The Tar Heels had one foot through the door into the second round until they didn’t. The VCU Rams dug deep and found a way to erase a late deficit to force overtime and eventually the upset win over UNC. North Carolina isn’t a stranger to blowing leads, and UNC legend Tyler Hansbrough wasn’t surprised that this was how their season ended in 2026.
Why Tyler Hansbrough Wasn’t Surprised by UNC’s Late Collapse
The Tar Heels were without their star Caleb Wilson and were going to face an uphill battle throughout the tournament. VCU is a solid opponent, but after the Tar Heels held a 19-point lead in the second half, it looked like UNC would still cruise to a victory. The Rams, behind 34 points (20 in the second half) from Terrence Hill Jr., found a way to win and left the Tar Heels with a feeling not unfamiliar to Hansbrough.
“I’m not stunned. We talked about it at halftime, you asked me you gotta be pretty happy and I said no, I’ve seen this story. I’ve seen this happen. You know, they’ve just had some lapses,” said Hansbrough.
UNC Legend Tyler Hansbrough wasn’t stunned whatsoever that UNC blew a 19-point lead to VCU.
(@TheFieldOf68) pic.twitter.com/8hcruK9zqm
— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) March 20, 2026
Hansbrough saw it before, and now the whole college basketball world saw it. The Tar Heels simply failed to get it done.
This is two years in a row for one of the most storied programs in college basketball to be sitting at home after the first round of March Madness. Questions will be asked about the future of head coach Hubert Davis after back-to-back disappointing exits.
Hansbrough has some thoughts on where North Carolina should go next and how they can turn this program back into the powerhouse it has historically been. He offered an interesting solution to take pressure off the head coach by adding a scouting team and a GM to help.
“I think you should have a GM and you should have scouts. It’s too much for a head coach to coach, scout, and go to games,” said Hansbrough.
Tyler Hansbrough with an honest, unfiltered take on his North Carolina Tar Heels after the brutal loss to VCU!https://t.co/tk98Os5AZq
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 20, 2026
By adding this to the program, it would allow more focus on game planning and coaching for Davis or whoever is the head coach at UNC next year.
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Hansbrough suggested at times that there wasn’t much of a plan going on other than to let Caleb Wilson get them a bucket or create an open shot. Then, without Wilson, the team struggled to produce at a consistent level and couldn’t get it done in crunch time.
The Tar Heels have an interesting offseason ahead with questions needing answers. All eyes will be on whether the Tar Heels make the decision to move on from Davis, as Wilson will almost assuredly be declaring for the NBA draft, leaving a massive hole in UNC’s roster.
