North Carolina’s No. 7 game from last season had all the ingredients of a classic scare: a fast start, a late push from the visitor, and just enough Tar Heel poise to keep the result from slipping away.
Wake Forest, despite finishing 7-11 in ACC play and 18-17 overall, walked into Chapel Hill and made things uncomfortable. The Demon Deacons never led, but they kept coming, and they nearly turned a lopsided early deficit into a road upset.
UNC came out flying. The Tar Heels opened on a 16-4 burst and controlled the first half from there, taking a 49-38 lead into the locker room.
Even after that, the scoring didn’t dry up. North Carolina kept stacking points through much of the second half while Wake slowly chipped away.
The pressure finally peaked with four minutes left, when Wake Forest got within a single point. But Hubert Davis’ team never blinked. The Heels answered every time the Demon Deacons threatened, and they closed it out 87-84 after spending the entire night in front.
The box score had plenty of standout performances for Carolina. Caleb Wilson finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Henri Veesaar poured in 25 points and grabbed nine boards. Jaydon Young also gave UNC a useful lift off the bench, scoring 12 points in 19 minutes and hitting 3 of 5 from deep.
Wake Forest leaned heavily on two scorers. Juke Harris and Nate Calmese each dropped 28 points, and together they connected on 12 three-pointers.
It was a tight, entertaining game from start to finish, but North Carolina did enough to protect home court and move on with the win.
In Other News...
UNC Football Already Has An Optics Problem Belichick Cant Ignore
UNC footballs sales pitch is running into a pretty basic problem: the Tar Heels still have season tickets available even with a home schedule that should draw attention. Notre Dame, Miami, Louisville and NC State are all on the board, but the combination of high prices and a disappointing year ago has not exactly produced the kind of early buzz the program would want heading into a new season.
The optics matter here as much as the numbers. With key football voices not doing much to sell optimism to the fan base, the concern is not just about unsold inventory, but about what those open seats could look like once the games start. In a stadium where visiting fans can already make their presence felt, that is the kind of problem North Carolina would rather not be talking about in August. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Is Still Waiting On A Potential Defensive Game Changer
North Carolinas frontcourt picture still has one more intriguing piece to come into focus in Sayon Keita, the 6-foot-11 freshman center from Mali who is expected to join the program in August. Keita brings the kind of length and mobility that can change how a defense looks at the rim, and that alone makes him worth tracking as the Tar Heels continue sorting out their rotation for the new season.
The upside is obvious, but so is the work ahead. Keita will need to add strength and sharpen his offensive game before he can be counted on for major minutes, yet his physical tools give him a real chance to push for a larger role if the adjustment comes quickly. For a roster looking for more size and rim protection, his development could end up mattering a lot more than his status as a reserve suggests right now. [Read more 🡒]
Christo Kelly May Decide Whether UNCs Offense Holds Together
UNCs offense is in the middle of a major rebuild, and the center spot may be the place where all the moving parts either settle down or start to wobble. Christo Kelly, a sixth-year senior transfer from Holy Cross, is expected to be the steadying force in the middle of the line, giving the Tar Heels an experienced anchor as they try to replace a long list of departed starters and sort out a young group up front.
Kellys importance only grows because the rest of the offense does not offer many easy outs. North Carolina is not working with a dual-threat quarterback to mask protection issues, and the interior line does not have much margin for error, with Andrew Threatt beside Kelly and Aiden Banfield returning from injury on the other side. For Bobby Petrinos offense to function the way UNC wants, the center has to be more than just a snapper, and Kellys presence may end up deciding how much of the offense holds together. [Read more 🡒]