Once Caleb Wilson went out of the UNC lineup, fans had been waiting for someone to take the reins of the team and actually lead. There was some hesitation against Pitt, we don’t need to talk about State, and the game against Syracuse was steady. For a win against KenPom’s fifteenth-ranked Louisville, though, the Tar Heels were going to need someone to firmly stand up.
Seth Trimble was that someone.
The truth is that, while he scored 19 against Pitt, ever since he hit THE three against Duke he just
hadn’t had a great game. He hadn’t hit a three pointer since THE shot, and there hadn’t been a game where he played like the senior leader the Tar Heels needed him to be. From the jump of the first half on Monday night, though, Trimble was on a mission.
Seth answered the bell in the first half when Carolina quickly found themselves down by double digits. In the first half, he was an incredible 7-10 from the floor, 1-3 behind the arc — which meant he finally hit his first three since Duke — and managed to get the Tar Heels into a lead as the first half buzzer sounded. He continued with a 4-6 effort in the second half, and hit some big free throws, going 6-8 at the line when the rest of the Tar Heels went 1-5 for the half.
The 14 he scored in the second half, added to his first half total of 16 meant he scored a total of 30 — a career high for Trimble — further enshrining himself in the hearts of Tar Heels. He seemed to will the Tar Heels into this win, which is a major one for the resume and ACC Tournament seeding as the rest of the season starts to wind down.
Elsewhere, Luka Bogavac showed further steady play, going 5-10 in total for twelve points on 2-5 from three, didn’t have any turnovers, had a great assist to a cutting Veesaaar, and played 29 minutes. It’s especially noteworthy that Bogavac hasn’t been forcing his shot from three as much — he scored 13 on Saturday without making a single three and only trying twice — and his movement has opened up his game to the point where he’s earned the starting role he has with Wilson out.
Veesaar was the only other starter with double digits in points, but he clearly is showing the effects of whatever was bothering him, the time off, and then the short turnaround from Syracuse on Saturday. He was only 6-12 from the field, and more importantly managed to pull down just two rebounds. That battle was a big reason that Louisville stayed in the game, and it’s a really good thing the Tar Heels get the rest of the week off before playing a late game against Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Overall, though, the choice for player of the game here is clear. Seth Trimble lands his career high, carries the Tar Heels to their biggest win post-Wilson injury, and with it seemingly changes the arc of the conversation around Carolina as the regular season comes to an end.
