UNC bench answers call against Kentucky. What we learned in the Tar Heels’ win

Hubert Davis needed not one, but two, timeouts in the final minutes to rally the Tar Heels — who were playing with two reserves down the stretch — at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night.

Freshman Derek Dixon answered the call each time. First, with a stepback 3-pointer when UNC’s set play broke down. And then, after Kentucky’s Collin Chandler responded to tie the game, Dixon added a driving layup through traffic.

The Wildcats had the ball, down two, with a chance to tie or take the lead and 12 seconds on the clock. Chandler missed his layup. Caleb Wilson corralled the rebound and drew a foul. Wilson’s free throws padded his stats, and the final score, with No. 16 North Carolina holding on to top No. 18 Kentucky, 67-64, in the Tar Heels’ first true road test this season.

“There were situations where we ran a play and we just didn’t get what we were looking for,” Davis said. “And in those times, you know, you just need players to step up and make plays. And Derek made a number of them. I’m really happy for him.”

Henri Veesaar led the way with 17 points on eight-of-12 shooting. Wilson added 15 points and a team-high six assists. The two combined for 22 rebounds and pulled down 10 of UNC’s season-high 20 offensive rebounds.

UNC (7-1) knew this opponent — and venue — would be a test. But this? A roaring crowd. A one possession game. Long periods of scoring droughts only interrupted, seemingly, by an official’s whistle. And a true freshman — not Wilson, mind you — stepping up in the clutch.

There were times on Thanksgiving when, given the strong presence of traveling Michigan State fans, it felt like a bit of a road game for the Tar Heels. Wilson’s father, Jerry, said that much. These kinds of matchups — from the Spartans to the Kansas Jayhawks — are part of the reason Wilson committed to UNC.

But nothing, not a ranked opponent at home or a slightly volatile neutral court venue, could prepare freshmen like Wilson or Dixon — or any of the 11 new Tar Heels — for an atmosphere like this. Pyrotechnics shooting off with the announcement of each Wildcat starter. A speaker system so loud you could feel it reverberate in your seat. The rowdy student section, called the “Eruption Zone” making its presence felt all night.

Despite some seriously ugly stretches, North Carolina passed the test. And, as Davis predicted earlier this week, the Tar Heels did it in the trenches. North Carolina dominated second-chance points, 22-5 and posted an overall rebounding edge of 41-30.

Here’s what we learned from this win:

More bench production

Against Michigan State, UNC mustered just five bench points (three from Jonathan Powell and two from Zayden High). By halftime Tuesday, the Tar Heels had already doubled that.

When asked about the lack of production from his reserves last week in Fort Myers, Davis said, “I wouldn’t just single out the bench.” Regardless of whether it was a concern or not, the Tar Heels’ bench provided crucial minutes on Tuesday night.

Powell was two-for-two from deep in the first half, while Dixon added four points. Dixon (24) posted more minutes than Evans (16) and took over ball-handling duties multiple times for the starting point guard — including in clutch time.

Dixon will be remembered for his late-game shots against Kentucky, but his defense and size proved valuable too — particularly against the Wildcats’ pick-and-roll action.

“He did a really good job defensively, containing the dribble drive, keeping them out of the lane, and making them take tough shots... and then him just running the team,” Davis said.

With Powell and Dixon’s roles solidified — or maybe even expanding — UNC is still searching for a productive backup in the post. High had a layup to tie the game at 56-56, but was quiet otherwise.

Too many early turnovers

It seemed like every time the Tar Heels took a brief lead in the first half, they turned the ball over and allowed the Wildcats to cut back in.

After a second-chance jumper by Wilson put North Carolina up 20-17, Kentucky ripped off a 6-0 run in under 50 seconds. The Tar Heels turned the ball over twice in that span for two fast-break dunks the other way.

At that point, UNC had committed five turnovers for eight Kentucky points. Soon after a Luka Bogavac three-pointer put North Carolina up by three a few minutes later, Kentucky responded with a 4-0 run. Dixon turned the ball over during that stretch in an attempted bounce pass to Veesaar. The Estonian native didn’t roll to the basket, and Chandler came up with the ball, soon finding Denzel Aberdeen for a layup in transition.

Jarin Stevenson’s turnover with just under three minutes before halftime marked the seventh first-half turnover for the Tar Heels. Luckily for UNC, the result was a Kentucky airball at the other end.

“I felt like where we struggled was in the half court, taking care of the basketball in the first half,” Davis said. “I think they a number of pick-six turnovers. They do a good job of getting steals and deflections in the passing lanes, and so that was something that I thought we did a better job with in the second half.”

Kentucky only scored three points off of UNC’s turnovers in the second half.

Wilson fights through added pressure once again

Through his first five games, Wilson emerged as one of the nation’s most efficient young scorers, tallying 20 or more points in four contests while shooting 67.3% from the field.

That efficiency has since slowed down. In Fort Myers, Wilson averaged 18 points but shot 40% (10 of 25) under the increased pressure. He faced double teams against St. Bonaventure. Tom Izzo instructed his Spartans to have “six eyes” on Wilson every time he touched the ball.

Kentucky’s Mark Pope likely took note, as he threw different looks at Wilson — a little Andrija Jelavic here, a little Kam Williams there — to great effect.

“Honestly, it’s just something to figure out,” Wilson said. “I missed shots today that I should not have missed. I’m not gonna lie, like, just in and out and stuff like that, but we won the game. So I’m not really tripping off of it.”

Wilson finished 3-of-12 from the field in the first half, still chipping in seven rebounds and four assists (both team highs in the opening period).

The freshman was far more efficient in the second half, shooting 2-of-7 from the field and making several key plays down the stretch. That included drawing fouls. Wilson made four of six attempts at the charity stripe in the second half. He also finished with a season-high six offensive rebounds — something that’s been a point of emphasis for the team.

“That’s what we focus on in practice, and that’s what I have to improve on,” Wilson said. “So I was just focused on the details.”

This story was originally published December 3, 2025 at 12:14 AM.