Jaydon Young sparked UNC, but late-game lapses overshadowed win over Wake Forest

Jaydon Young knows this much: he can knock down 3-pointers anytime.

So when he made season-best three shots from behind the arc Saturday, it was meaningful — but not nearly as much as what came after.

What Young said he valued most from No. 17 North Carolina’s 87-84 win over Wake Forest was being on the floor the final three minutes. After spending much of the season in a limited role, the junior guard and Virginia Tech transfer closed the game as part of a season-high 20 minutes, finishing with 12 points in what became a nerve-wracking finish at the Dean E. Smith Center.

“They’ll probably give us the bad in film,” Young said afterward. “But we won the game.”

Young’s performance was one of the bright spots of the Tar Heels’ 500th win inside the Smith Center. But beneath the historic achievement and standout night for Young, the win carried a familiar and increasingly difficult-to-ignore concern.

For the fourth time in 16 games this season, North Carolina’s final margin of victory was at least 10 points off its largest lead — all of those due to late-game comebacks by its opponents.

On Saturday, the latest example, UNC allowed Wake Forest to erase a double-digit deficit and turn a comfortable game into a one-possession ordeal late. The Tar Heels led by as many as 15 points before Wake Forest responded with a 17-3 run that trimmed the margin to one with just under four minutes to play.

“Definitely some frustration,” said Seth Trimble, who finished with 10 points and some crucial late-game plays. “I wouldn’t say concern. We know that it’s there, but we let teams make these runs and we have these lapses a little bit, and teams just take advantage of it. But I know that we can make that go away. I have no doubt in my mind. Some frustration, but no concern.”

`Step forward’ needed for UNC

The late run followed a script that’s become familiar, at times, for UNC: defensive breakdowns (particularly on switches that Trimble called “lousy”) and questionable shot selection opened the door for Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons capitalized behind timely perimeter shooting, sinking four of their six 3-point attempts in the last seven and a half minutes.

“This is going to be our growth, for us as a team,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said. “It’s not getting to that level, but it’s staying at that point. There were a number of times where we were up 12, 15 points... and in every one of those situations, we never took a step forward. We took our foot off the gas pedal on both ends of the floor.”

North Carolina appeared in full control when Young drilled a left-corner triple to push the lead to 72-57. From that moment, however, UNC went nearly seven minutes without a field goal.

Disappearing Caleb Wilson?

Caleb Wilson, who finished with 22 points (on 8-of-9 shooting) and 12 rebounds, only attempted two shots in the second half.

“I don’t know, man,” Wilson said after the win, laughing and shaking his head when asked about the lack of shots. “I don’t know.”

Trimble, however, pushed back against the idea that Wilson was frozen out.

“He draws a lot of attention,” Trimble said. “He draws double teams, he draws crowds because he’s an incredible player. So there’s gonna be times where maybe he doesn’t get the shot that you guys are used to seeing or things like that, but it’s because of how he draws and sucks the defense.”

But Wilson’s lack of second-half production and the overall offense’s stagnation highlighted another issue: UNC’s unsettled perimeter rotation.

Jarin Stevenson, Kyan Evans and Luka Bogavac combined to shoot 2-for-16 and 1-for-11 from 3-point range on Saturday, totalling eight points with nearly as many turnovers (5) as assists (6).

UNC’s heavy reliance on frontcourt

This inconsistency has forced constant lineup adjustments and placed additional strain on the frontcourt, where Veesaar and Wilson have been the lone constants. The duo has scored in double figures in all 16 games this season, routinely propping up an offense that’s struggled to find consistent perimeter production.

Veesaar, in particular, has continued to expand his offensive value for this team. His late-game reverse dunk Saturday punctuated another efficient night (9-for-10 from the field), while his two made 3-pointers marked the fifth time in the last six games he has hit multiple shots from beyond the arc.

The Estonian native leads the team in 3-point shooting at 51.2 percent. The next closest Tar Heel is Derek Dixon at 38.6%. Advanced analytics paint a similar picture, with Veesaar grading out on Synergy as UNC’s best spot-up shooter by a significant margin, followed closely by Dixon and Jonathan Powell.

North Carolina ranks 205th in the nation in 3-point percentage at 33.59% — a mark that, if it does not improve, will inherently cap the team’s offensive ceiling.

“I think we definitely have to step up as a guard unit,” Young said. “Just because a lot of guys are doubling, stuff like that. But we definitely have the talent, we have the skills. And as we mesh and gel more as a team, I think that’ll come.”

UNC improved to 14-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC with the win. But on a night that should have been remembered primarily for a milestone and a feel-good performance from a reserve guard, the Tar Heels once again left the floor with more questions than answers.

Young, at least, walked away with something tangible.

“It makes you believe in your work,” Young said of his performance Saturday. “It definitely makes you get in the gym a little more... hopefully we just keep it rolling.”

North Carolina’s shown it can get things rolling. Sustaining it has been harder.

This story was originally published January 11, 2026 at 9:14 AM.