University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: Kentucky Rapid Reactions
December 2, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from Lexington.
By Adam Lucas
1. A gritty, must-have win that the Tar Heels easily could have lost. With some key late-game heroics from freshman Derek Dixon, the Heels earn a 67-64 win at Kentucky.
2. Dixon made Carolina's last two field goals. One of them was a three-pointer out of a timeout with a minute left, and the other a layup on a drive that provided the go-ahead points. For a freshman to make those plays in this environment in this game is very impressive. Consider that he had made just one of his first six shots...and then made his last two when it counted.
3. The overwhelming reason Carolina won that game was their work on the offensive glass, something Hubert Davis emphasized repeatedly at practice this week. The Tar Heels grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, including a key one with just over a minute left that set up a Tar Heel timeout with 1:07 remaining facing a one-point deficit. The Heels came out and saw Derek Dixon hit a three-pointer. Those were the last of their 22 second chance points--they won that category 22-5.
4. Terrific performance by Henri Veesaar. The big man had a double-double, putting up 17 points to go with 10 rebounds and making eight of his 12 shots.Â
5. Nice timeout by the Tar Heels with 2:37 remaining. Trailing by one and having struggled in the halfcourt for most of the game, the Heels came out and ran a terrific set that allowed Caleb Wilson to feed Luka Bogavac in the corner for a three-pointer that provided a two-point lead with just over two minutes to go. Bogavac fouled out but had 12 points. Wilson had a freshman-type game, shooting 5-for-19, but he had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. And don't forget that as Kentucky collapsed around him defensively, he also had six assists.
6. Kentucky's offense was essentially limited to getting the ball close to the rim and scoring, and it was almost enough to win the game. The Cats shot 1-for-13 from three but were 16-22 on layups or dunks. That means 16 of their 23 field goals were layups or dunks. That offense deserted them, however, during a long stretch of the second half. They made just two of their final 16 field goal attempts.
7. Carolina could have broken the game open during a second half stretch when Kentucky went seven minutes without a field goal. But the Wildcats actually added two points to their lead during that stretch. As it turns out, that was just setting up Dixon's late-game heroics, so it all worked out.
8. Carolina's bench provided a spark during a first half that was a rock fight. Jonathan Powell hit a couple three-pointers and Dixon scored four points. The UNC bench had averaged fewer than nine points per game in the previous three contests. Both of those two showed signs of being able to provide reliable reserve minutes. For the game, the bench actually outscored Kentucky's reserves, 17-16.
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9. But Kentucky dominated that first half in the paint. The Wildcats outscored UNC 28-14 close to the basket, as they struggled from the perimeter but had good success—like Michigan State—getting the ball where they wanted it to go on offense.That enabled the home team to shoot nearly 52 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. Carolina allowed just 14 points in the paint in the second half and won that department, 20-14, in the final 20 minutes.
10. Kyan Evans didn't have a good performance. But the Tar Heels are going to need his shooting at some point. It was huge that Dixon picked up the slack tonight, but Carolina will need both of them to get where they want to go.
11. Carolina now has 26 wins against Kentucky. That's the most against the Wildcats by any non-SEC team. The Heels lead the series 26-18.
12. In the crazy random fact department, Rupp Arena was the site of the last college game as a player for both head coach Hubert Davis and assistant coach Jeff Lebo. Davis's last game was a 1992 loss to Ohio State in the Sweet 16 (he scored 21). Lebo's last game was a 1989 defeat at the hands of Michigan (he had 19 points and seven assists).Â
13. The Tar Heels now have one game left in a four-game stretch in which their opponents are a combined 23-5. The last game in that sequence is a home date with Georgetown on Sunday at 5 p.m.
1. A gritty, must-have win that the Tar Heels easily could have lost. With some key late-game heroics from freshman Derek Dixon, the Heels earn a 67-64 win at Kentucky.
2. Dixon made Carolina's last two field goals. One of them was a three-pointer out of a timeout with a minute left, and the other a layup on a drive that provided the go-ahead points. For a freshman to make those plays in this environment in this game is very impressive. Consider that he had made just one of his first six shots...and then made his last two when it counted.
3. The overwhelming reason Carolina won that game was their work on the offensive glass, something Hubert Davis emphasized repeatedly at practice this week. The Tar Heels grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, including a key one with just over a minute left that set up a Tar Heel timeout with 1:07 remaining facing a one-point deficit. The Heels came out and saw Derek Dixon hit a three-pointer. Those were the last of their 22 second chance points--they won that category 22-5.
4. Terrific performance by Henri Veesaar. The big man had a double-double, putting up 17 points to go with 10 rebounds and making eight of his 12 shots.Â
5. Nice timeout by the Tar Heels with 2:37 remaining. Trailing by one and having struggled in the halfcourt for most of the game, the Heels came out and ran a terrific set that allowed Caleb Wilson to feed Luka Bogavac in the corner for a three-pointer that provided a two-point lead with just over two minutes to go. Bogavac fouled out but had 12 points. Wilson had a freshman-type game, shooting 5-for-19, but he had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. And don't forget that as Kentucky collapsed around him defensively, he also had six assists.
6. Kentucky's offense was essentially limited to getting the ball close to the rim and scoring, and it was almost enough to win the game. The Cats shot 1-for-13 from three but were 16-22 on layups or dunks. That means 16 of their 23 field goals were layups or dunks. That offense deserted them, however, during a long stretch of the second half. They made just two of their final 16 field goal attempts.
7. Carolina could have broken the game open during a second half stretch when Kentucky went seven minutes without a field goal. But the Wildcats actually added two points to their lead during that stretch. As it turns out, that was just setting up Dixon's late-game heroics, so it all worked out.
8. Carolina's bench provided a spark during a first half that was a rock fight. Jonathan Powell hit a couple three-pointers and Dixon scored four points. The UNC bench had averaged fewer than nine points per game in the previous three contests. Both of those two showed signs of being able to provide reliable reserve minutes. For the game, the bench actually outscored Kentucky's reserves, 17-16.
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9. But Kentucky dominated that first half in the paint. The Wildcats outscored UNC 28-14 close to the basket, as they struggled from the perimeter but had good success—like Michigan State—getting the ball where they wanted it to go on offense.That enabled the home team to shoot nearly 52 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. Carolina allowed just 14 points in the paint in the second half and won that department, 20-14, in the final 20 minutes.
10. Kyan Evans didn't have a good performance. But the Tar Heels are going to need his shooting at some point. It was huge that Dixon picked up the slack tonight, but Carolina will need both of them to get where they want to go.
11. Carolina now has 26 wins against Kentucky. That's the most against the Wildcats by any non-SEC team. The Heels lead the series 26-18.
12. In the crazy random fact department, Rupp Arena was the site of the last college game as a player for both head coach Hubert Davis and assistant coach Jeff Lebo. Davis's last game was a 1992 loss to Ohio State in the Sweet 16 (he scored 21). Lebo's last game was a 1989 defeat at the hands of Michigan (he had 19 points and seven assists).Â
13. The Tar Heels now have one game left in a four-game stretch in which their opponents are a combined 23-5. The last game in that sequence is a home date with Georgetown on Sunday at 5 p.m.
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