UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC vs Wake Forest 87-84 Win
UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Outlasts the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to Earn Their Second Win in the ACC
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
The North Carolina basketball team faced Wake Forest on Saturday night. After an abysmal defensive performance in the last game against SMU, the Tar Heels inserted Jarin Stevenson into the starting lineup for Luka Bogavac to provide more defense for that unit. The lineup change paid dividends early with the Heels jumping out to a 16-4 lead over the Demon Deacons. Carolina extended their ball pressure full court to start this game and threw traps and presses at Wake Forest, forcing 5 turnovers in the first five minutes of the game that led to 8 fast break points for the Tar Heels. UNC was just playing with a different energy and led most of the first half.
The Demon Deacons were able to keep the game closer than they should have been after hitting 8 threes and UNC turning over the ball 8 times, which gave Wake some easy baskets. But the Heels countered every run they made by just overwhelming Wake Forest in the paint and forcing them into tough shots on defense. North Carolina had 28 points in the paint and shot 59% from the field. Caleb led the way, shooting a perfect 7-7 from the field for 17 points as the Tar Heels led by 49-38 going into halftime.
In the second half, the Tar Heels continued to dominate in the paint, and Henri Veesaar started to become more aggressive offensively, scoring 10 points of UNC’s 15 in the first 8 minutes after halftime. The Heels were swarming Wake Forest and making them uncomfortable on both ends of the floor. After a Caleb Wilson layup with 11 minutes remaining, UNC had pushed its lead to 15 and was looking to put the game away. However, over the next 8 minutes, Carolina would only make one shot. The Tar Heels started to play bad basketball with sloppy turnovers, bad shots being taken, no ball movement, several free throws missed, and an inability to defend Wake Forest guards Nate Calmese and Juke Harris, who combined for 34 points in the second half. Wake Forest started to pack paint and double the UNC bigs in the post, and North Carolina didn’t know what to do offensively.
The Demon Deacons took advantage of the Heels’ struggles and just continued to chip away at the Carolina lead until it got to one after hitting 14 threes in this game. With the Tar Heels struggling from the field, it would be up to UNC’s defense and free-throw shooting to seal this game for them. Down the stretch of the game, it would go down to the final buzzer, but the Heels got made winning plays when they needed it including a huge steal and dunk from Seth Trimble, key stops from Henri Veesar at the rim and a key dunk, and Seth Trimble, Jarin Stevenson, and Jaydon Young all making key free throws to ice the game. It wasn’t a pretty finish as the Tar Heels almost gave the game away, but they escaped with an 87-84 win to improve their record to 14-2 on the season.
UNC Stats
| 1 | 2 | T | |
| Wake Forest 10-7 | 38 | 46 | 84 |
| 17 North Carolina 14-2 | 49 | 38 | 87 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| H. Veesaar | 25 | 9 | 4 | 9/10 | 2/3 | 5/7 | 2 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| C. Wilson | 22 | 12 | 3 | 8/9 | 0/0 | 6/8 | 1 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| S. Trimble | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3/7 | 0/1 | 4/6 | 1 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| K. Evans | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/3 | 2 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| J. Stevenson | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1/6 | 0/2 | 2/2 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| J. Young | 12 | 1 | 2 | 4/6 | 3/5 | 1/2 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Powell | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 0/0 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Dixon | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1/5 | 1/4 | 1/2 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| I. Denis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| L. Bogavac | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/4 | 0/3 | 0/0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Z. High | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| I. Matlekovic | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| J. Brown | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| E. Davis | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| J. Holbrook | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| E. Smith | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 87 | 29 | 20 | 29/55 | 9/26 | 20/30 | 13 | – | 10 | 2 | 14 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| N. Calmese | 28 | 4 | 9 | 10/16 | 7/11 | 1/2 | 1 | 35 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| J. Harris | 28 | 6 | 1 | 10/18 | 5/12 | 3/4 | 3 | 38 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| T. Spillers | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2/5 | 0/0 | 3/3 | 5 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| O. Biliew | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/3 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 5 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| M. Colvin | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0/3 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 2 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| M. Mason | 9 | 3 | 0 | 4/9 | 1/4 | 0/0 | 5 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| C. Schwieger | 9 | 0 | 2 | 4/10 | 1/4 | 0/0 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| S. Akins | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| J. Cross | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| O. Kmety | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| I. Carr | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| V. Ricchiuti | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| W. Underwood | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| M. Marion | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| A. Beard Jr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| D. Kovacevic | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 84 | 23 | 13 | 31/64 | 14/35 | 8/11 | 22 | – | 9 | 0 | 13 |
UNC Bright Spots
Caleb Wilson had 22 points, 12rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
Henri Veesaar had 25 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Jaydon Young had 12 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound.
Seth Trimble had 10 points, 4 assist, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels’ perimeter defense needs to be better. They must be better at closing out on shooters, containing ball handlers, and even running their opponent off the three-point line when they’re hot from behind the arc. Their rotations must be faster, and their communication must be better to make sure everyone is on the same page when they are either switching, hedging, doubling, or going under or over on their pick-and-roll coverages.
When teams get hot offensively, I would like to see Coach Davis and his staff do a better job of making adjustments on the fly. They must be better at switching defenses and coverages to throw different looks at the opposing offense, which will help disrupt their flow and rhythm. Being more aggressive offensively and getting the other team’s best player in foul trouble can also be another way to disrupt the rhythm and flow of the opposing team’s offense.
The Tar Heels also need to make sure they don’t allow teams to take them out of their game and dictate the way they play. Offensively, they are at their best when the ball is moving, the bigs are getting touches, and the guards are getting dribble penetration because it usually leads to great shots. They must play that way no matter what defense the opponent throws at them.
The Heels must be better at the free-throw line. Shooting 67% at the free-throw line is unacceptable, and missing free throws keeps you from extending leads, allowing games to be closer than they should be.
Final Observations
The Tar Heels improve to 14-2 on the season. Despite the win, UNC has some things it needs to work on. Their perimeter defense in the last two games hasn’t been good, especially defending the three-point line. In the last two games, the Heels have allowed their opponents to hit 28 threes, 14 threes in each game. You are not going to win many games when you allow teams to hit that many threes at a high percentage. The coaching staff needs to address this issue now and implement coverages and schemes to run teams off the three-point line, limiting their attempts. The next thing they need to work on is their free-throw shooting. Carolina is shooting 68% at the free-throw line for the season. That is unacceptable with all the good shooters they have on this team. You cannot go far in the NCAA tournament if you are not a good free-throw shooting team, so they need to make the proper adjustments to turn it around.
Finally, they need more production from their guards. Seth Trimble plays well in most games, but Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac, and Derek Dixon have all been inconsistent and struggle to score points and have a positive impact on defense. They are playing passively on the court and don’t take the shots that the defense gives them, which is making it easier for them to be defended. If Evans, Dixon, and Bogavac are not making shots, it’s almost impossible to keep them on the court because of the defensive struggles. Coach Davis and his staff must find a way to get those guys confident in their offensive games. They’re going to need them to produce and play well if they want to reach their potential as a team. The talent and skills are there, so it’s all about doing everything you can to get everyone comfortable in a role where they can make positive contributions night in and night out. Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesar have been outstanding throughout the season and are carrying this team with their double-double production every game, but the guard play will need to be much better if they truly want to make a run in March. Next up is Stanford on Wednesday, January 14, at 9:00 P.M. on the ACC Network.
Win is a win. The things you brought out in the blog are true. Work on them should be a priority for the coach and the rest of the team. Thanks.
The Heels looked to have regressed. They look a far cry from the Kansas game, which I thought took us over the top. Evans, Luka, and Dixon have to step up their games, or changes need to be made.