VCU coach praises student journalists after historic March Madness comeback: 'Best in the country'

After completing the largest comeback successful the past of the archetypal circular of March Madness, No. 11 VCU caput manager Phil Martelli Jr. made it a constituent to outcry retired circumstantial journalists.

Ben Rekosh, the manager and on-air commentator for WVCW Sports, the school's vigor station, was successful the mediate of asking a question to Martelli astir their comeback implicit No. 6 UNC erstwhile Martelli interrupted.

"I americium gonna outcry you guys out. I cognize there's a batch of nonrecreational media, our pupil media, the champion successful the country. They are unreal. Unreal, unreal," Martelli said. "Three of these guys drove successful a snowstorm — I'm not definite wherefore they did it — to Davidson to screen america successful Davidson. They came retired to St. Louis, they've been everyplace on the way.

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VCU Rams caput manager Phil Martelli Jr. answers questions during a signifier league up of the archetypal circular of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament astatine Bon Secours Wellness Arena.  (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)

Martelli did enactment the reporters connected blast, though, saying they had to miss a crippled for Valentine's Day.

"We won't speech astir that. I recognize young emotion is young love," Martelli joked. "But this unit close here, I told them successful Pittsburgh, I'll archer them again, I cannot convey you guys enough. You are what this is about, close there. The remainder of these [media members] are getting paid — not enough. They don't get paid enough, but they get paid to beryllium present — they're not paid to beryllium here, and they amusement up each azygous day, each azygous game, and I can't convey you guys (enough)."

Rekosh said helium appreciated the benignant words and went close backmost to asking his question, the past of the conference.

Terrence Hill Jr. of the VCU Rams reacts to a handbasket during the 2nd fractional against the North Carolina Tar Heels successful the archetypal circular of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament astatine Bon Secours Wellness Arena connected March 19, 2026, successful Greenville, South Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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UNC was up by 19 with astir 15 minutes near successful the game, but the Commodores were ne'er dead, and they were carried by Terrence Hill Jr., who tallied 34 points connected 13-of-23 shooting, including 7-of-10 from three. Twenty-three of those points were successful the 2nd fractional and overtime, including the game-winning 3-pointer.

Still, the occupation wasn’t finished, arsenic Henri Veesaar was fouled successful the lane connected the different extremity and sent to the enactment for 2 escaped throws. With an 80-78 deficit, helium had the cleanable accidental to necktie it up, but helium missed the archetypal attempt. That was the extremity for the Tar Heels, arsenic they hung their heads erstwhile the timepiece deed zero.

Henri Veesaar of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts aft a crippled against the VCU Rams successful the archetypal circular of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament astatine Bon Secours Wellness Arena connected March 19, 2026, successful Greenville, South Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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It was VCU’s archetypal NCAA Tournament crippled triumph since 2016, and they needed to sprout 62% from the tract successful the 2nd half, including 7-of-10 from three, to station a 47-36 people crossed those 20 minutes to unit overtime. 

Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report.

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