UNC men’s basketball holds Blue-White scrimmage. Here’s what we learned
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- Bogavac led scoring with hot perimeter shooting, signaling instant offensive impact.
- Veesaar and other bigs provided rim protection and switching flexibility on defense.
- Team showed shooting depth and Wilson flashed athletic finishing amid chemistry work.
The spark was there, even if the polish wasn’t. At least, not yet.
At UNC men’s basketball’s Blue-White scrimmage on Saturday — held an hour after North Carolina’s football team got clobbered by Clemson — the Tar Heels offered an early preview for the 2025-26 season. The White team (Henri Veesaar, Jaydon Young, Jonathan Powell, Kyan Evans, Caleb Wilson) defeated the Blue team (Jarin Stevenson, Zayden High, James Brown, Seth Trimble, Luka Bogavac), 55-50, in two 10-minute halves.
But the Tar Heels didn’t let a few errant passes or missed layups daunt them. Especially Wilson.
When the freshman rose up for an early dunk that clanged off the rim, he quickly brushed it off with an old (and maybe a bit odd) trick he’s taught himself over the years.
“In my head I’ll be like, ‘Bro, the rim moved,’” Wilson said. “That’s what goes on in my head. Because I feel like you can never have that confidence that you need to have if you’re worried about what happened in the past.”
Wilson quickly made up for that early error when, in the second half, he scored a put-back dunk — complete with a flashy one-handed slam.
Although Wilson has yet to record a much-desired poster on one of his teammates (he joked they’re too afraid to jump with him), his flashy isolation moves and the chance to see this largely-new Tar Heels roster for the first time gave UNC fans something to look forward to after another disappointing loss at Kenan Stadium on Saturday.
Here’s what stood out from UNC men’s basketball’s scrimmage:
Bogovac can be an engine for this team
Bogovac’s ease, timing and assertiveness were on display. He led all scorers (unofficially) with 14 points.
“He shot the ball extremely well,” Trimble said following the scrimmage. “That’s what we need for him all year. Just for him to continue to stay aggressive.”
The Montenegrin hooper cut well and stayed alert. He created consistently off screens and didn’t hesitate to shoot there or off the dribble.
While he had a few turnovers, that’s what’s expected in October as the team is still trying to find its chemistry. Overall, though, his performance on Saturday further confirms his upside as an instant-impact player.
“He’s an incredible shooter,” Trimble said. “I think we all know that. So we tell him [and] he knows not to shy away from it. He’s gonna keep going and we’re gonna keep embracing him.”
UNC’s defense, anchored by Veesaar, should be disruptive
North Carolina generally stuck to the same “ice” and drop coverages on screens, which shouldn’t surprise the film-cruncher crowd who follow Hubert Davis’ tendencies closely.
With players like the 7-foot Veesaar anchoring the paint, the Tar Heels seemed content to let their bigs clean up at the rim.
The approach, given North Carolina’s lengthy personnel, makes sense.
“I think defensively, we should be a really good team,” Derek Dixon said on Friday. “[We’re] able to switch and guard multiple positions for multiple guys.”
The timing and athleticism of players like Veesaar or High (who also had an impressive performance Saturday) should give Davis more flexibility in his ball screen coverage and switching on defense.
Davis, in particular, has already complimented Veesaar’s ability to alter and block shots.
“Teams and individuals that have the ability to do that make them a really good defensive team,” Davis said last month. “That’s something that’s a high priority for us.”
Wilson, Veesaar is a dangerous pairing
Putting these two together on the white squad revealed what could be a nightmare for opposing defenses this year.
Both showed their ability to absorb contact, finish at the rim and force help. But, at the same time, Wilson’s midrange touch and Veesaar’s ability to shoot the three could exploit that collapse — as should a number of players that showed off their shooting range on Saturday.
“It’s everybody knocking some shots in,” Powell said Friday. “I mean, we can shoot this year.”
Bogovac made (unofficially) a game-high four 3-pointers. Trimble had three and Powell had two. Evans, Young, High and Veesaar all knocked one in from outside as well.
“I feel like, as a team, we’re versatile,” Wilson said. “We just gotta gel together and I feel like it’s gon’ take time... we got so many talented players.
When it comes together, we gon’ be the best team in the country.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2025 at 8:09 PM.