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VCU coach praises student journalists after historic March Madness comeback: ‘Best in the country’
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After completing the largest comeback in the history of the first round of March Madness, No. 11 VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. made it a point to shout out specific journalists.
Ben Rekosh, the director and on-air commentator for WVCW Sports, the school’s radio station, was in the middle of asking a question to Martelli about their comeback over No. 6 UNC when Martelli interrupted.
“I am gonna shout you guys out. I know there’s a lot of professional media, our student media, the best in the country. They are unreal. Unreal, unreal,” Martelli said. “Three of these guys drove in a snowstorm — 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 ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)
Martelli did put the reporters on blast, though, saying they had to miss a game for Valentine’s Day.
“We won’t talk about that. 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 cannot thank you guys enough. You are what this is about, right there. The rest of these [media members] are getting paid — not enough. They don’t get paid enough, but they get paid to be here — they’re not 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 went right back to asking his question, the last of the conference.
Terrence Hill Jr. of the VCU Rams reacts to a basket during 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)
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 finished, as Henri Veesaar was fouled in the lane on the other end and sent to the line for two free throws. With an 80-78 deficit, he had the perfect chance to tie it up, but he missed the first attempt. That was the end for the Tar Heels, as they hung their heads when 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)
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It was VCU’s first NCAA Tournament game win since 2016, and they needed to shoot 62% from the field in the second half, including 7-of-10 from three, to post a 47-36 score across those 20 minutes to force overtime.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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The first day of the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament set a high bar.
The 11-seeded VCU Rams and 12-seeded High Point Panthers delivered the first upsets of March Madness. AJ Dybantsa scored the most points (35) by a freshman in an NCAA tournament debut in BYU’s loss to Texas. And more points rained in with Michigan, Illinois and Saint Louis each eclipsing the 100-point mark Thursday.
The action doesn’t slow down Friday with games underway and more still to tip (all times Eastern):
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(15) Tennessee State vs. (2) Iowa State: 2:50 p.m.
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(13) Hofstra vs. (4) Alabama: 3:15 p.m.
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(9) Utah State vs. (8) Villanova: 4:10 p.m.
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(11) Miami (Ohio) vs. (6) Tennessee: 4:25 p.m.
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(9) Iowa vs. (8) Clemson: 6:50 p.m.
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(12) Northern Iowa vs. (5) St. John’s: 7:10 p.m.
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(10) UCF vs. (7) UCLA: 7:25 p.m.
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(15) Queens vs. (2) Purdue: 7:35 p.m.
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(16) Prairie View A&M vs. (1) Florida: 9:25 p.m.
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(13) California Baptist vs. (4) Kansas: 9:45 p.m.
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(15) Furman vs. (2) UConn: 10 p.m.
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(10) Missouri vs. (7) Miami: 10:10 p.m.
ESPN’s reporters are on-site across the country, tracking the biggest highlights in real time.
Football icon Cristiano Ronaldo has extended heartwarming Eid ul fitr wishes to fans across the world, spreading a message of peace and happiness.
Taking to social media, Ronaldo shared warm Eid greetings, posting a heartfelt message, saying: “Eid Mubarak to all! I hope you have a very special day with your family and loved ones. Wishing you all peace and happiness.”
The Portuguese football star, currently playing for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, posted the message on his Instagram, accompanied by a photo of himself in traditional Saudi attire.
Muslims in the Gulf region are celebrating Eid ul Fitr on Friday, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Ramadan ends with the sighting of the new moon, which ushers in the month of Shawwal.
Across the Muslim world, Ramadan festivities this year were overshadowed by the ongoing war in the Middle East, triggered by the US and Israel’s attack on Iran.
Despite its commercial dominance, the Indian Premier League has slipped behind rivals in the latest global T20 rankings, as The Hundred emerged as the top-ranked tournament.
The IPL, widely regarded as the most lucrative and high-profile cricket league, ranked third in the latest World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) assessment, formerly Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA).
The findings suggested that the tournament requires major improvements to secure its place as the top global competition.
According to the global players’ body, the IPL must enhance its approach to player rights and overall welfare.
The league’s ranking reflects concerns that, while commercially dominant, it lags behind its rivals in areas concerning player treatment and conditions.
Leading the standings is England’s newest franchise competition, The Hundred, which secured the top position with a ranking score of 75.2 points.
It is closely followed by South Africa’s SA20, which earned 68 points to take second place.
The IPL received 62.6 points, placing it narrowly ahead of Australia’s Big Bash League, which sits fourth with 62.5 points. Pakistan’s PSL follows in fifth with 48 points.
The remaining places in the top ten feature a range of global tournaments. Major League Cricket occupies sixth, while the ILT20 in the UAE is seventh.
The Caribbean Premier League ranks eighth, followed by the Abu Dhabi T10 in ninth and the Bangladesh Premier League in tenth.
Men’s March Madness live tracker: Updates from Friday’s first round
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