On a cold night in Atlanta, the Tar Heels brought the heat-and then some. North Carolina rolled into McCamish Pavilion and left with a commanding 91-75 win over Georgia Tech, a performance that showcased both star power and depth, along with a little Tar Heel history being made along the way.
Let’s start with the hometown hero: Caleb Wilson. The freshman phenom didn’t just show out-he rewrote the record books.
His 22-point outing marked his 15th 20-point game of the season, breaking a tie with none other than Tyler Hansbrough for the most by a UNC freshman. And with that, Wilson now owns another freshman milestone: 21 straight games in double figures to start his career, the longest such streak in program history.
Not a bad night to do it in front of friends and family.
But Wilson didn’t do it alone. Henri Veesaar, who’s been as steady as they come all season, turned in another double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
His presence in the paint continues to be a cornerstone for Carolina. Add in Seth Trimble’s 18-point contribution, and the Tar Heels had a frontcourt trio that gave Georgia Tech fits all night.
Given how effective Veesaar and Wilson were inside, you might have expected Carolina to lean even more heavily on the post. Instead, they launched 31 threes-nearly half of their 64 field goal attempts-and connected on just eight.
It’s been a theme this season: the Heels are on pace to set school records for both threes attempted and made. And while the volume is high, the efficiency still fluctuates.
They did generate some clean looks through crisp ball movement, and had a few more of those open threes fallen, this could’ve been an even bigger blowout.
One of those eight triples came from Luka Bogavac, who continues to emerge as a spark plug off the bench. After a rough start to ACC play, Bogavac poured in 16 points and has now posted back-to-back double-figure scoring games for the first time since before Christmas.
Though Jaydon Young got the start, it was Bogavac who played starter minutes-27 of them, to be exact. And it’s simple: when he’s hitting shots, he’s going to stay on the floor.
The game didn’t start smoothly for Wilson, who was held scoreless for the first 12 minutes thanks to Georgia Tech’s double teams. But that strategy didn’t last.
Wilson erupted for 14 points in the final 7:45 of the first half, including a moment that may go down as the highlight of Carolina’s season. Kyan Evans lofted a lob that looked like it was headed for the third row, until Wilson elevated and hammered it home with one hand.
It was the kind of dunk that draws gasps, the kind that gets replayed over and over-and yes, it drew comparisons to a certain Vince Carter slam in the same building nearly three decades ago.
Carolina also continues to take care of the ball at an elite level. The Tar Heels committed just two turnovers all game-a season low and a number that ties the program’s all-time best.
That ball security translated into an 18-0 edge in points off turnovers, and over their last two games, Carolina holds a staggering 37-2 advantage in that category. That’s the kind of stat that wins you games in March.
Even the free throw line was kind to the Heels. After some recent struggles, they hit 11 of 12 from the stripe-over 90 percent.
The only caveat? There just weren’t many whistles.
Only six fouls were called in the first half, and Carolina didn’t get to the line often. But when they did, they made it count.
And in true road warrior fashion, UNC adapted to the quirks of the venue. Instead of trekking up the steep hallway to the visiting locker room at halftime, the team held its meeting in a makeshift space near the court. Call it resourceful, call it efficient-either way, it worked.
As usual, the Tar Heels had a strong turnout in Atlanta, with plenty of blue in the stands despite the “sellout” designation. Among the familiar faces were Mitch Kupchak, Kenny Smith, and Tyler Hansbrough-the latter working the radio call for the Tar Heel Sports Network.
Add in Dennis Scott on the ESPN broadcast and Mark Price being honored during a timeout, and you had five program legends from UNC and Georgia Tech in the building. It was a night steeped in history, both past and present.
This win marks Carolina’s fifth in their last six meetings with Georgia Tech and improves their road record in Atlanta to 24-16. And believe it or not, it’s been over two decades since UNC has faced a ranked Yellow Jackets team on the road-a surprising stat for two programs that had some heavyweight battles back in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Next up: a quick turnaround. Carolina will try to navigate the winter weather and get in a practice before hosting Syracuse on Monday. It’s the first of the fast-paced ACC two-game weeks, and if Saturday’s performance is any indication, the Heels are more than ready to keep rolling.