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After pulling off the biggest comeback in the history of the first round of March Madness, No. 11 VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. to the point of calling out specific journalists.
Ben Rekosh, the director and commentator for WVCW Sports, the school’s radio station, was in the middle of asking Martelli a question about their comeback over No. 6 UNC when Martelli interrupted.
“I want to shout you out. I know there’s a lot of professional media, our student media, the best in the country. They’re unreal. Unreal, unreal,” Martelli said. “Three of these guys drove in a blizzard — I’m not sure why they did it — to Davidson to cover us in Davidson. They came out to St. Louis, they’ve been everywhere along the way.
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VCU Rams head coach Phil Martelli Jr. answers questions during a practice session prior to the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)
However, Martelli blasted the reporters and said they had to miss a game for Valentine’s Day.
“We don’t want to talk about it. I understand young love is young love,” Martelli joked. “But this crew right here, I told them in Pittsburgh, I’ll tell them again, I can’t thank you enough. You guys are what it’s all about, right there. The rest of these [media members] being paid – not enough. They don’t get paid enough, but they get paid to be here — they don’t get paid to be here and they show up every single day, every single game, and I can’t thank you guys (enough).”
Rekosh said he appreciated the kind words and immediately went back to asking his question, the last of the conference.
Terrence Hill Jr. of the VCU Rams reacts to a basket in the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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UNC was up by 19 with about 15 minutes left in the game, but the Commodores were never dead, and they were carried by Terrence Hill Jr., who tallied 34 points on 13-of-23 shooting, including 7-of-10 from three. Twenty-three of those points were in the second half and overtime, including the game-winning 3-pointer.
Still, the job wasn’t done when Henri Veesaar was fouled in the lane at the other end and sent to the line for two free throws. With an 80-78 deficit, he had the perfect chance to equalize, but he missed the first attempt. That was the end for the Tar Heels as they hung their heads as the clock hit zero.
Henri Veesaar of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a game against the VCU Rams in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
It was VCU’s first NCAA Winning in tournament play since 2016, they had to shoot 62% from the field in the second half, including 7-of-10 from three, to go 47-36 across those 20 minutes to force overtime.
