The 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket is available, and now we know who will be North Carolina's first challenge on their March Madness quest.
UNC learns its March Madness fate and lands in a loaded NCAA Tournament region
Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels drew the No. 6-seed in the South Region and will take on No. 11-seeded VCU on Thursday night in Greensville, South Carolina.
Meeting the first time ever in men's basketball, the Tar Heels and Rams both aim to survive and advance. Given that there's no prior history between the two programs, you may be curious to know more about this VCU squad.
North Carolina vs. VCU first-round odds are out and they make zero sense
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Getting to know the VCU Rams
2025-2026 Season
Overall record: 27-7
Conference Record: 15-3
Home Record: 15-2
Away Record: 7-3
Neutral Site Record: 5-2
Head Coach- Phil Martelli Jr.
In his first season at the helm at VCU, Martelli Jr. led the Rams their second straight Atlantic 10 Tournament title, securing their NCAA Tournament bid. He took over the job when former head coach Ryan Odom took over at Virginia.
Key Players
Terrence Hill Jr. (So. Guard): 14.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists
Lazar Djokovic (Jr. Forward): 13.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists
Jadrian Tracey (Sr. Guard): 9.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Projected Starters
No. 0- Brandon Jennings
No. 1- Nyk Lewis
No. 2- Jadrian Tracey
No. 5- Barry Evans
No. 17- Lazar Djokovic
Common Opponents
North Carolina and VCU played two common opponents this season, both of which reside in the ACC.
Similar to the Tar Heels, the Rams went 1-1 in these games.
On November 17, VCU suffered a 85-79 loss at NC State, and, as we unfortunately know, the Tar Heels suffered a loss to the Wolfpack in Raleigh during conference action.
Both teams defeated Virginia Tech, as VCU pulled away with a 14-point victory over the visiting Hokies while the Tar Heels held on for a seven-point victory against their conference foe to close out the month of February.
Red Hot
VCU has been nearly unbeatable over the second half of the regular season.
Currently on a six-game winning streak, the Rams have won a staggering 16 of their last 17 games, as this unit has been one of the hottest teams in all of college basketball. That stretch included a run to the Atlantic 10 Tournament title, as the Rams defeated Dayton for a third time this season to secure their NCAA Tournament ticket.
Potential Problems for UNC
The Rams are a strong three-point shooting team, as they shot over 36% from the floor from deep this season. They also do a great job of getting to the free throw line, knocking down nearly 19 free throws per game while shooting a 74% clip from the line.
While they aren't the biggest team in terms of size, Djokovic is a stretch big who could give UNC problems if they get into foul trouble. Don't let their size fool you, this is still a very physical team.
Areas UNC needs to take advantage
VCU is a good defensive team, but isn't at an elite level that we've seen in past seasons.
They will look to provide pressure, as their experienced guards will try to create havoc, but it's a defensive unit that can be exposed.
While they are very capable of making shots from beyond-the-arc, they have been streaky at times this season and do tend to turn the ball over when teams provide pressure on their ball handlers.
In this scenario, expect North Carolina to go to its full-court pressure in an effort to force the Rams into sloppy play.
Keys to Victory
To win this game, North Carolina must do the following:
Limit the guards from driving downhill
Limit VCU's chances at the free throw line
Avoid long offensive droughts