Phil Martelli Jr. Channels Dad’s March Magic in VCU's Upset Stunner

VCU opened the NCAA Tournament by busting brackets -- and Phil Martelli Jr. proved the March Madness gene might run in the family.

TMZ Sports caught up with the VCU head coach fresh off leading his 11-seed squad to a massive upset over No. 6 North Carolina -- a moment that hit even harder with his father, legendary coach Phil Martelli Sr., in the building to witness it all.

Martelli Sr., of course, knows a thing or two about March magic.

He famously led Saint Joseph’s to an undefeated regular season and an Elite Eight run in 2004 … turning the Hawks into one of the tournament’s most iconic Cinderella stories.

Now, it’s his son writing a similar script in his first year with the Rams.

“As I was coming off the floor, he was standing right at the corner … we got to have a big embrace,” Martelli Jr. said.

Storybook stuff … especially considering how it all went down.

VCU stormed back from a 19-point deficit, but Martelli Jr. said there was never panic -- just a constant search for answers.

“What other button can we push? What’s the next thing we can try?” he said.

That steady, no-frills mindset is straight from dad’s playbook. Martelli Jr. admitted he’s leaned on those experiences -- both as a kid watching tournament runs and as a player under his father -- to navigate the moment.

VCU is also familiar with March magic … just ask the 2011 squad that stormed from the First Four all the way to the Final Four in one of the most iconic Cinderella runs ever.

So don’t expect a victory lap just yet.

“I’m not great about celebrating the wins,” Martelli Jr. said. “My mind always goes to what’s next.”

It won’t get any easier. After the North Carolina upset, Martelli Jr. and VCU are now staring down a No. 3 seed Illinois on Saturday with Sweet 16 implications on the line.

VCU’s Cinderella run is just getting started -- and if history is any indication, the Martelli name tends to stick around in March.