UNC Basketball Archives

Wilson, Veesar push No. 16 North Carolina past Georgetown, 81-61

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Caleb Wilson and Henry Veesar both collected double-doubles, and No. 16 North Carolina pulled away from visiting Georgetown in the second half to win 81-61. Wilson tallied 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Veesar totaled 18 points and 15 boards for the Tar Heels (8-1). KJ Lewis paced the Hoyas (6-3) with 17 points and Julius Halaifonua scored 14. Georgetown led early, but UNC used a 12-2 run to push their lead to 15 points midway through the second half. Derek Dixon and Luka Bogavac each added 14 points apiece for UNC.… Continue Reading

Dixon delivers late as No. 16 North Carolina wins 67-64 at No. 18 Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Derek Dixon made a tiebreaking layup with 16 seconds remaining and scored five of North Carolina’s last six points to lift the No. 16 Tar Heels to a 67-64 win at No. 18 Kentucky. Dixon had nine points off the bench, and his 3-pointer with 53 seconds left helped give the Tar Heels their first road win this season. Henri Veesaar led North Carolina with 17 points, followed by Caleb Wilson with 15. Wilson shot 5 for 19 but added 12 rebounds and six assists. The Tar Heels made six 3s and limited the Wildcats to one on 13 attempts. Neither team led by more than six in a game that featured nine ties and 14 lead changes. Otega Oweh led Kentucky with 16 points.… Continue Reading

The ACC is trying to spark men’s basketball. A better showing in the ACC/SEC Challenge would help

The ACC/SEC Challenge begins this week. It comes with the Southeastern Conference coming off a year with a record 14 bids to the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile the Atlantic Coast Conference has been grappling with how to jumpstart its tradition-rich sport amid a dwindling number of March Madness bids. That included dropping to just four tournament teams last year for its worst showing since 2013. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips has touted investments by league schools and efforts to improve scheduling to bolster postseason resumes. The key is winning marquee games like No. 4 Duke hosting reigning national champion Florida on Tuesday.… Continue Reading

Jeremy Fears Jr. leads No. 11 Michigan State to victory over No. 16 North Carolina with 19 points

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 19 points and No. 11 Michigan State pulled away to beat No. 16 North Carolina 74-58 In the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Carson Cooper had 14 points, Cam Ward 11 and Jaxson Kohler 10 along with 11 rebounds for his third double-double of season. Caleb Wilson led North Carolina (6-1) with 18 points, Henri Veesaar had 13 and Luka Bogavac added 11, but the Tar Heels shot just 38% (21 of 55). Michigan State (7-0) went 5 of 10 on 3-pointers while North Carolina went 4 of 23. The Spartans also had a 20-5 margin in bench points.… Continue Reading

Former UNC and NBA champ Rick Fox announces plans to run in Bahamian general election

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Former NBA player Rick Fox says he will run for a legislative seat in the Bahamas in next year’s general election. His candidacy comes as the archipelago struggles with high-profile corruption cases, an influx of people entering the country illegally and ongoing recovery from Hurricane Dorian, a devastating Category 5 storm that hit in September 2019. Fox made the announcement Monday on Facebook. He is a three-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers. Fox was born in Toronto to a Canadian mother and a Bahamian father and grew up in the Bahamas.… Continue Reading

Wilson pushes No. 18 North Carolina past Navy, 73-61

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Caleb Wilson had 23 points and 12 rebounds, leading No. 18 North Carolina to a 73-61 win over Navy. A true freshman, Wilson also had four steals and three blocks for the Tar Heels (5-0). Luka Bogavac added 16 points, Jarin Stevenson scored 11 and Henri Veesaar had 10. Austin Benigni scored 19 points for Navy (2-3) and Jinwoo Kim added 14 in the Midshipmen’s first trip to Chapel Hill since 1936. Despite returning 86.6 percent of its scoring from last season — the most of any roster in the nation this year — Navy had trouble finding the basket consistently against UNC, shooting just 30.4 percent from the floor. The Tar Heels have held four opponents to under 40-percent shooting this season and are now 49-4 under fifth-year coach Hubert Davis when doing so.… Continue Reading

Wilson leads No. 18 North Carolina past NC Central 97-53

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Freshman forward Caleb Wilson scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half and added 13 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double, leading No. 18 North Carolina past North Carolina Central 97-53. Henri Veesaar contributed 12 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, and Luka Bogavac scored 13 for the undefeated Tar Heels. Zayden High had 11 points off the bench. Wilson blocked four shots and was 7 of 8 from the floor, with all but one of those attempts coming before halftime. He played only four minutes in the second half with the Tar Heels leading comfortably. Ramondo Battle II scored 14 points for NC Central, which shot only 24.2%.… Continue Reading

Wilson, Veesaar, Trimble power No. 25 North Carolina’s 2nd-half push to beat No. 19 Kansas 87-74

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Caleb Wilson had 24 points and No. 25 North Carolina dominated the second half to pull away from No. 19 Kansas 87-74 in a battle of college basketball bluebloods. Big man Henri Veesaar added 20 points for the Tar Heels. UNC also got a big showing from senior Seth Trimble with 13 of his 17 points after halftime. UNC made 24 of 36 shots after halftime. That erased a 37-29 lead at the break. Kansas star freshman Darryn Peterson had 22 points to lead the Jayhawks. Kansas had won five straight meetings in the series.… Continue Reading

Newcomers Wilson and Bogavac power No. 25 North Carolina to a 94-54 rout of Central Arkansas

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Caleb Wilson scored 22 points and Luka Bogavac added 10 points and five assists in their North Carolina debuts as the No. 25 Tar Heels beat Central Arkansas 94-54 in the teams’ season opener on Monday night. Kyan Evans hit four 3-pointers and scored 15 points, Henri Veesaar added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Seth Trimble scored 12 points as the Tar Heels won their opener for the 21st consecutive season. Cole McCormick led Central Arkansas with nine points, though he went to the bench with his fourth foul early in the second half and fouled out with 4:56 left.… Continue Reading

No. 6 Duke keeps its frequent perch as favorite in ACC race featuring No. 11 Louisville, No. 25 UNC

Sixth-ranked Duke is the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball race. The Blue Devils open Jon Scheyer’s fourth season after a Final Four run. The 38-year-old Scheyer also became the first coach to twice win the ACC Tournament in his first three seasons. Duke lost all five starters but adds the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class. No. 11 Louisville is the top challenger in its rapid rise under Pat Kelsey. The ACC has four new coaches in Florida State’s Luke Loucks, Miami’s Jai Lucas, N.C. State’s Will Wade and Virginia’s Ryan Odom.… Continue Reading