What Jarin Stevenson Blames for UNC’s NCAA Tournament Defeat

The North Carolina Tar Heels saw their season end in surprising fashion earlier this week in the Round of 64 against the VCU Rams, and it had a lot to do with their inability to close out tight games.

Several times this season, the Tar Heels either blew double-digit leads or failed to come up with meaningful buckets down the stretch of close games, the lone exception being the team’s comeback victory against Duke on Feb. 7. North Carolina often escapes these close games with a win during the regular season, but they weren’t so lucky against VCU.

UNC Blows Double-Digit Lead

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) reacts after losing to the VCU Rams in overtime of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

In their lone NCAA Tournament game, the Tar Heels led by as much as 19 before the Rams came storming back in the second half to send the game to overtime, where they’d eventually knock off the Tar Heels in an 82-78 upset. The Tar Heels were without their best player, Caleb Wilson, due to a season-ending thumb injury suffered earlier this month, but the game was more than winnable despite that.

What led to the comeback was the fact that UNC’s offense went ice cold, while the Rams couldn’t miss a shot down the stretch — no, seriously, the Rams made 15 of their final 19 shot attempts in the second half to force the game to overtime.

Mar 18, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

After the season-ending loss, forward Jarin Stevenson pointed to the lack of composure down the stretch as the main catalyst for their defeat, citing their old habits coming back to light at an inopportune time for the Tar Heels.

VCU Rams forward Barry Evans (5) defends North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jarin Stevenson (15) Thursday, March 19, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first round game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Stevenson’s Thoughts

“I thought it was fixed, too,” Stevenson said. “But, I guess we went back to our old ways. We should have kept our foot on the gas, and kept playing, taking good shots, getting to the basket, offensive rebounds, stuff like that. Play our brand of basketball. I feel like we were just getting too comfortable, we’re giving up easy points for them, and we shoot bad shots on the offensive end, and that’s not a good formula to win.”

With their season now over, the Tar Heels will do some soul-searching over the offseason after another early exit in the NCAA Tournament. With Caleb Wilson likely headed for the NBA Draft, the Tar Heels will look to load up on talent heading into the 2026-27 season and hope for a stronger result in next season’s tournament.