UNC earned a much-needed victory last night against Notre Dame behind yet another incredible performance from Caleb Wilson. Coming off the West Coast trip, it felt like this team needed to get back to some of the key things that led to them entering conference play with only one loss. The team played with more energy, shots were going in the basket, and overall it felt like they knew they were the better team and proved it. There’s enough to be happy about, but there’s also a lot of cleanup to do
in a couple of departments despite what the final score showed.
That said, let’s dive into three takeaways from last night’s win over the Fighting Irish.
We saw an improved defense, but far from perfect
Considering how bad things were just days ago, it’s safe to say that nobody expected a miracle between the loss against Cal and last night’s win over Notre Dame. The defense situation got so bad that even the game against the Irish felt like one that could go really wrong really quickly. Thankfully that was not the case, and we can safely say that there were signs of improvement. Still, the Heels aren’t out of the woods yet, and this weekend’s game against Virginia is probably the last thing they need while they’re figuring some things out.
Let’s start with the positives: Notre Dame was awful from two-point range, and even though they went 50% from deep in the first half, they only made two of their 13 three-point attempts in the second half. It’s also worth noting that Braeden Shrewsberry, who is their best perimeter shooter, only went 1-5 from the floor. UNC played defense with a decent amount of energy tonight, communication was better, and they were able to jar the ball loose from the Irish a few times. Overall, there were some solid steps forward.
What is worth pointing out, though, is that there were a number of defensive lapses despite an overall improved performance. We still saw missed assignments, some miscommunication, and some lazy closeouts. Seth Trimble and Jaydon Young also ended up in foul trouble, which could’ve caused a bigger problem that it did against better competition. Couple that with the fact that the Irish aren’t very good, and it’s reasonable to conclude that there’s still a decent amount of concern going into this weekend. Still, a step forward is a step forward, regardless of how big or small.
Derek Dixon continues to prove he deserves the starting spot
Going into the season, there was no clear starter at the point guard position. In fact, one could argue that there’s still no definitive answer at the position, but Derek Dixon is making his best case with the opportunities he has gotten from Hubert Davis. The freshman guard finished his night against the Irish with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, and he went 3-5 from three-point land. He also had the most minutes of any of the guards with 27, and thankfully he was mostly a positive considering the fact that Seth Trimble ended up in foul trouble.
While Dixon is playing well, there’s something else happening now that he is the starter — Kyan Evans is figuring out his shot. Call it taking the pressure off of being the starter, call it motivation to play better, or call it a coincidence, but the Colorado State transfer went 3-5 from three and had zero turnovers. It’s hard to say which of these two developments is sustainable, but it does feel like the Dixon situation has a bit more stability to it than anybody could’ve predicted. The true test will be having to deal with the environment in Charlottesville this weekend, which…historically doesn’t go well for the Tar Heels.
Henri Veesaar got busy in the second half
The first half of last night’s game wasn’t super great for Henri Veesaar. While he was able to get the job done on the boards, he only made one of his first four shots and also didn’t have the best moments defensively. Most of that changed in the second half, which is something that has happened quite a bit this season for the Arizona transfer.
Veesaar scored 12 of his 15 points in the final 20 minutes of the game, grabbed five boards, and added in an assist and a block. His boost in intensity ultimately led to the dam breaking and the Heels pulling away from the Irish, and he was the only Tar Heels to score in double figures in the second half. The Henri Veesaar experience has been fascinating this season — he is a very good player, and is even better when he is playing alongside Caleb Wilson. However, sometimes you wonder what is happening with him during games, but then he will turn into the most dominant player on the floor. Thankfully his good far outweighs the bad, and now there’s rumblings that he could be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. It’s awesome seeing a transfer have a career season in Carolina blue, but it’s unfortunate that we only have so much longer to enjoy it.
