After back-to-back losses had folks wondering what was going on with North Carolina, the Tar Heels responded with authority on Wednesday night, rolling past Notre Dame 91-69 in Chapel Hill. From the opening tip to the final buzzer, this was a statement win - and a much-needed one - for a UNC team looking to steady the ship in ACC play.
The Tar Heels wasted no time setting the tone. They jumped out to a 42-33 lead at halftime, then opened the second half with a 10-0 run that effectively put the game out of reach. Notre Dame never led, and frankly, never looked like they were going to.
Caleb Wilson Leads the Charge
Caleb Wilson was the engine behind UNC’s offensive resurgence. The freshman guard dropped 22 points and handed out five assists, showing the kind of composure and shot-making that had been missing during Carolina’s recent skid. He was aggressive, efficient, and in control - everything you want from your lead guard in a bounce-back game.
Three-Point Revival
If there was one glaring issue in the Tar Heels’ recent losses to Stanford and Cal, it was the lack of perimeter shooting. That flipped in a big way against the Irish.
UNC was lights out from deep, knocking down 13 threes - and here’s the kicker: eight different players hit from beyond the arc. For much of the night, Carolina had more threes than twos, which tells you just how dialed in they were from distance.
Derek Dixon, making just his second career start, chipped in with 11 points and hit three of those triples. Kyan Evans and Luka Bogavac each added nine, giving the Heels a balanced scoring attack that stretched Notre Dame’s defense thin.
Henri Veesaar’s Second-Half Surge
Henri Veesaar had a quiet first half, but he came alive after the break. The big man poured in 12 of his 15 points in the second half and grabbed 12 rebounds to notch another double-double. His energy on the glass and ability to finish around the rim added an interior punch that complemented the outside shooting perfectly.
Defense Still a Work in Progress
Now, as good as the offensive numbers were - 51% from the field, 70% from the line - there are still a few areas UNC will want to clean up. Most notably, they gave up 18 offensive rebounds to Notre Dame.
That’s not a sustainable number if you’re trying to make a deep run in March. Luckily for Carolina, the Irish couldn’t capitalize - they shot just 36% from the field and went ice cold from three in the second half, hitting only 2-of-13.
Braeden Shrewsberry, one of Notre Dame’s top perimeter threats and a 40% shooter from deep coming into the game, was held to just three points. That’s a win for the Tar Heels’ perimeter defense, even if the rebounding effort left something to be desired.
A Step in the Right Direction
This was the kind of performance that can help a team reset. After two tough losses where their defense was exposed and their offense sputtered, UNC found their rhythm again.
The shots were falling, the ball was moving, and the bench was engaged. It wasn’t perfect - few games are - but it was convincing.
And sometimes, especially in the grind of conference play, that’s exactly what you need. A night when the ball goes in, the crowd gets loud, and the team remembers what it looks like when everything clicks.