Tar Heels’ Comeback Falls Short in Final Minutes Against Cal
BERKELEY, CA - For a moment, it looked like North Carolina was about to pull off a classic late-game heist. Down by 20 points just ten minutes earlier, the Tar Heels had clawed their way back into striking distance at Haas Pavilion, turning a game that had spiraled out of control into a potential comeback story.
But when the dust settled, it was California that held firm, and UNC’s rally ran out of steam in the final three minutes.
Let’s set the stage: Carolina had allowed 54 first-half points and looked out of sync on both ends for much of the game. But something clicked midway through the second half. The defense tightened, the energy ramped up, and even with offensive struggles - including long stretches where star freshman Caleb Wilson barely touched the ball - the Tar Heels found themselves down just six with 3:21 to play after Jaydon Young calmly sank two free throws.
That’s when crunch time began. And that’s where things got messy.
Final 3:21 Breakdown:
- 3:21 - Young hits both free throws. UNC trails 77-73.
- 2:45 - Cal’s Justin Pippen answers with a tough pull-up jumper. Back to a six-point game.
- 2:27 - Seth Trimble misses a jumper. Carolina still down six.
- 1:58 - Tar Heels force a shot clock violation - a big stop.
- 1:47 - Trimble hits two free throws. 79-75, game still in reach.
- 1:25 - Pippen misses a three. UNC with a chance to capitalize.
- 1:06 - Trimble misses again.
- 0:57 - Pippen gets to the line and drains both.
Cal extends the lead to 81-75.
- 0:48 - Trimble misses a three.
Cal rebounds.
- 0:45 - Cal’s Lee Dort misses the front end of a one-and-one.
Life for UNC.
- 0:30 - Henri Veesaar misses a three, but UNC gets another shot.
- 0:19 - Veesaar buries a three from the top of the key. It’s 81-78.
Game on.
- 0:10 - Pippen, steady as ever, sinks two more free throws.
83-78.
- 0:03 - Wilson finally gets a look, but the three doesn’t fall.
- 0:01 - Dort hits one more free throw to seal it. Final: 84-78.
In total, UNC missed six of its final seven shots. In that last 3:21 stretch, they went 1-for-6 from the field. And while the effort was there, the execution simply wasn’t.
Seth Trimble, one of the team’s veterans, had a particularly rough finish. He went 0-for-3 in the closing minutes, including a couple of rushed or forced looks. Earlier in the half, he’d also thrown an ill-advised behind-the-back pass that led to a turnover - the kind of mistake that looms large in tight games.
Head coach Hubert Davis didn’t sugarcoat it.
“There was a sense of urgency that wasn’t there the first 20, 25 minutes,” Davis said. “There were still mistakes on both ends, but it was done with urgency and effort that allowed us to get back into the game.”
That urgency got them back in it - but not over the top.
Davis acknowledged the late-game issues, especially around shot selection and execution. “We want to get a great shot every possession - whether it’s inside the arc, beyond the arc, or getting to the free throw line,” he said during Monday’s ACC coaches’ call. “Down the stretch, we just didn’t make the shots we needed to make.”
And about those late looks? Wilson, who had been quiet offensively for much of the second half, didn’t get a shot until there were three seconds left and UNC was already down five. That’s not ideal for a player of his talent, and it’s something Davis and the staff will likely be reviewing closely.
“I think you can go back in a game and find times where our shot selection or execution isn’t great,” Davis added. “Not just in late-game situations - those are things I’m looking at throughout the entire game.”
The Tar Heels showed fight, no doubt. They turned what looked like a blowout into a battle. But in the end, the final possessions told the story: missed opportunities, questionable decisions, and a comeback that came up just short.
There’s no panic in Chapel Hill - this is a veteran group with talent and leadership. But Saturday’s finish was a reminder: in tight games, every possession matters. And if UNC wants to make a deep run this season, they’ll need to clean up those late-game sequences.