It finally happened: after five consecutive losses to Kansas, the Tar Heels were finally able to finally send the Jayhawks home with a loss in what was an impressive showing by both teams. This gives UNC
their first win over a ranked team this season, and their record has improved to 2-0.
Things got off to a sloppy start for both teams in the first half, though it was Kansas that had the upper hand throughout most of it. Darryn Peterson was just as good as advertised, and gave the Tar Heels fits on his way to 11 points in the half. Bryson Tiller was also a point of frustration on the perimeter — he drained all four of his three-point attempts in the first half to finish the frame with 12 points. Carolina did their best to hang in there, though, and it was honestly a blessing that they were able to keep things somewhat close. Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar were the only reliable offensive weapons, though Veesaar had issues hanging onto the basketball. As a team, UNC coughed up the ball 10 times in the first half, which led to 17 points for the Jayhawks. Things got even darker when Wilson picked up his second foul in the middle of the half, forcing him to the bench and allowing Kansas to go into halftime up by eight.
In the second half we were treated to a completely different Carolina team. After Kyan Evans, Seth Trimble, and Luka Bogavac only scored one field goal combined in the first 20 minutes, the guards woke up and got to work. The three players combined for 30 points in the second half, had five assists, and just one turnover. Wilson and Veesaar continued their dominance as well, and the Arizona transfer did a much better job of taking care of the basketball while doing so. As far as Kansas goes, they struggled quite a bit against UNC’s defense for the remainder of the game. After facing a team that lacked the size to have an interior presence, this year’s team made things a living nightmare for the Jayhawks in the paint. Darryn Peterson was the only Kansas player to score in double figures in the final 20 minutes, while everyone else didn’t have much of an impact. They also turned the ball over eight times after turning it over six times in the first half, so I’m sure Bill Self will have a lot to say about that once they get back to Lawrence. Really, though, the issue is that they ran into a Carolina team that has been aggressive on defense so far this season, which is good news for us as fans.
The biggest highlight of the game, as it will probably be most nights throughout the season, was Caleb Wilson. We can now say that he has faced tough Power Four competition in a meaningful game, and he played like he is in his fourth year of college basketball. We’ve seen Wilson throw down numerous dunks in both this game and the previous one, but tonight he showed off even more of his talent. He hit some impressive fadeaway mid-range jumpers, recorded four assists, and continued his defensive dominance. It’s incredible that he hasn’t gotten more attention for just how good he is, but it feels like he is being slept on because of what he was asked to do during AAU play. The secret is out now, though, and teams will have to find a way to slow down Wilson if they want a chance to take down the Tar Heels this season.
Overall, this is as impressive of a win as Carolina fans could’ve hoped for, especially in the second game of the season. There’s a lot of basketball left, but this year’s team seems legit. There’s a lot of work to do if they want to reach their full potential, but it’s nice to be able to say that they are a work in progress but can still take down an AP top 25 team. Next up is Radford on November 11th in the Dean Dome.
