UNC Has Clearly Recovered From Their Tough Road Trip Out West Two Weeks Ago.
The key for the Tar Heels after a big win at Virginia, last weekend, was not falling into the "trap game". Hubert Davis said in his pregame press conference yesterday that they weren't even thinking about that. Their play showed that as well.
The Tar Heels put together one of those road performances that were disciplined, confident, and fundamentally sound from start to finish. Exactly what fans want to see. The Tar Heels rolled past Georgia Tech 91–75, earning their third straight win and doing it in a way that felt very definitive.
the story of the day was Caleb Wilson. An Atlanta native returning home and he absolutely lit it up in front of a hometown crowd, finishing with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Those numbers are impressive on their own, but what he did in the bigger picture is what makes this feel special.
This was Wilson’s 15th 20-point game of the season as a freshman, the most ever by a freshman in Tar Heels history. He didn’t just score — he impacted the game in multiple ways, even throwing down one of his signature alley-oop slams that brought the roof down.
Let’s not sleep on Henri Veesaar, though. He bounced back in a major way with a strong all-around game, using his size to help UNC win the possession battle and punish Georgia Tech on the interior. Size advantage? Paid dividends. Veesaar added 20 points and 12 rebounds to the proceedings.
Checking in on the point guard position, this was the first "down" game Derek Dixon has had since becoming the starting point guard three games ago. He had double digit points in each of those games up until today where he only had 5, going 1-7 from the field.
Jaydon Young also got his third straight start, but did not score.
The Tar Heels are trending up, playing with purpose, and showing flashes of the kind of basketball Carolina fans have always expected — tough, smart, and unselfish. They will need to continue it though. That's a given.
The Heels host Syracuse on Monday night at the Smith Center. That'll be their last game before the first Duke matchup next Saturday.