If you turned off the TV when the Tar Heels were up by 15 with ten minutes left, I honestly don't blame you. Most of us thought it was over. But then things got weird in the Smith Center. The latest score of carolina basketball game ended in an 87-84 victory for North Carolina over Wake Forest on Saturday night, and while a win is a win, this one felt like a cardiac event for fans in Chapel Hill.
It was a tale of two halves, or really, a tale of 30 minutes of dominance followed by 10 minutes of "what on earth are we doing?" North Carolina moved to 14-2 on the season and 2-1 in the ACC, but the way they closed this out left Hubert Davis with plenty to talk about on his radio show this week.
The Breakdown: Score of Carolina Basketball Game vs. Wake Forest
The final 87-84 score doesn't quite capture how much Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar owned the paint for the first three quarters of the game. These two combined for 47 points. That is an absurd stat for a frontcourt duo. Caleb Wilson, the freshman who seems to be playing with a cheat code lately, dropped 22 points and grabbed 12 boards. That was his 11th double-double of the season. Think about that. He’s chasing Tyler Hansbrough’s freshman records, and honestly, he looks like he might actually catch them.
Veesaar was just as lethal, finishing with 25. When those two are clicking, Carolina looks like a Final Four lock. They were 17-of-19 from the floor combined. You just don't see that kind of efficiency in high-major college basketball very often.
But then the defense sort of evaporated.
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Wake Forest isn't a team that quits. Hunter Sallis and the Deacs started raining threes in the second half, shooting over 53% after the break. They cut a 15-point lead down to just one point with seven seconds left on the clock. Jarin Stevenson eventually stepped up to the line and sank two massive free throws to ice it, but man, it was way closer than it needed to be.
Why the SMU Loss Still Lingers
To understand why fans were so nervous during the Wake Forest comeback, you have to look back at the score of carolina basketball game just a week prior. The Heels went down to Dallas and got handled by SMU, losing 97-83.
That SMU game was a wake-up call. The Mustangs exposed some perimeter defensive rotations that looked, well, sluggish. When Wake Forest started their run on Saturday, it felt like those SMU ghosts were coming back to haunt the Dean Dome.
Hubert Davis mentioned in his post-game presser that the defensive patterns are "concerning." He’s right. Carolina is scoring at an elite level, but they are giving up way too many open looks from the corners. If they don't fix that before the Duke game in February, it’s going to be a long night.
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Key Performers Beyond the Big Men
While Wilson and Veesaar get the headlines, Jaydon Young was arguably the unsung hero of the night. He came off the bench and gave the Heels 12 points, including three critical shots from deep.
Young said it best after the game: "I'm not a freshman anymore." You can see that confidence growing. When Ian Jackson or Elliot Cadeau have an off night—and Cadeau has been a bit inconsistent with his finishing lately—having a guy like Young who can stabilize the backcourt is huge.
Looking Ahead: The California Road Trip
Now that the score of carolina basketball game is in the books as a "W," the Tar Heels have to pack their bags. They are heading out west for a two-game swing in California.
- Stanford (Wednesday, Jan 14): This is a tricky one. Stanford has been playing better ball lately, and a 9:00 PM ET tip-off means the Heels will be playing in the middle of the night according to their body clocks.
- California (Saturday, Jan 17): The Bears are sitting at 13-3 and just gave Virginia a serious scare. This isn't the "easy win" it used to be years ago.
The real test for this roster isn't whether they can score—they clearly can. It’s whether they can find a defensive identity that lasts for a full 40 minutes. You can't let a team like Wake Forest shoot 60% for a ten-minute stretch and expect to win in the Tournament.
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Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you're following the Heels this season, keep a close eye on the "points in the paint" stats. When Wilson and Veesaar are fed early, the floor opens up for shooters like Luka Bogavac. However, Bogavac has been struggling lately (he's 2-for-13 in ACC play), so keep an eye on his shooting splits in the Stanford game. If he finds his rhythm, this team becomes almost impossible to guard.
Also, watch the rotation at the point. Elliot Cadeau’s playmaking is essential, but his defensive intensity needs to stay high to prevent the kind of runs we saw Saturday night.
Next Steps for Tar Heel Watchers:
- Tune in to the Stanford game on Wednesday at 9:00 PM ET on ESPN.
- Watch for early post entries to Caleb Wilson; if he gets 5+ touches in the first 4 minutes, Carolina usually wins comfortably.
- Monitor the defensive switch rate. If the Heels stay in man-to-man longer without getting burned, it shows the "concerning patterns" Davis mentioned are being coached out.
The road to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament is wide open, but the Heels need to tighten the screws. An 87-84 win is a relief, but a dominant defensive performance on the West Coast would be a much better statement.