Big Final Minute By Dixon Leads 67-64 Win At Kentucky

Tuesday, December 2

Lexington, Ky.

9:30 p.m.

North Carolina

7-1,0-0ACC

Kentucky

5-3,0-0SEC

North Carolina

Kentucky

Derek Dixon

Photo by: Maggie Hobson

December 2, 2025 | Men's Basketball

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By: Matt Bowers

LEXINGTON, KY.— Freshman Derek Dixon scored five of his nine points in the final minute as No. 16 North Carolina rallied to a big, 67-64 win at No. 18 Kentucky in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Tuesday night at Rupp Arena.

Dixon played his best game of the season, scoring five consecutive points in the final 53 seconds to lead a poised Carolina effort in the final minutes after Kentucky led for most of the game and almost all of the second half. Dixon played a season-high 24 minutes with starting point guard Kyan Evans limited by foul trouble.

"My teammates trusted me, my coaches trusted me and I just stayed confident throughout the game and made big plays down the stretch," Dixon told ESPN's SportsCenter in a live interview after the game. "On the three-pointer, we had drawn up a play and the play broke down, so I had to go make a play. Coach [Hubert Davis] trusted me on the last one and set a high-ball screen for me, and I made the right play."

The Tar Heels (7-1) bounced back nicely from their Thanksgiving loss to Michigan State, while the Wildcats (5-3) saw the end of their two-game winning streak this season and in the series with UNC. Carolina is now 3-5 in Rupp Arena. It was UNC's first road win at Kentucky since December 1, 2007.

Henri Veesaar was Carolina's best player on the floor for most of the game, especially offensively. He had the fourth double-double of his career (all this season), tallying 17 points on 8 of 12 shooting with 10 rebounds.

Caleb Wilson shot just 5 for 19 but still posted his fifth double-double in eight games with 15 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and a game-high six assists. His athleticism and offensive creativity helped Carolina rally late in the second half, and his six assists were a season high.

Luka Bogavac scored 12 points before fouling out late in the game, hitting 3 of 6 three-pointers and grabbing four rebounds.

Both teams struggled offensively, particularly from long range. Carolina was 3 for 12 from three-point range in the second half and 6 for 20 overall behind the arc. The Wildcats missed 12 of their 13 three-point attempts. UNC shot 43.8 percent from the floor as team, while UK hit just 34.8 percent.

The score was tied at 31 after a low-scoring first half. Carolina shot just 37.5 percent from the floor and UK controlled the paint, outscoring UNC, 28-14, inside. The Wildcats had a 10-0 first-half edge in fast break points but missed all eight off their three-point tries while the Tar Heels hit 3 of 8.

The Tar Heels got key buckets late in the game from Wilson, Veesaar and Dixon, including a three-pointer and a driving layup by Dixon, to win with poise in the final minutes.

How It Happened
First Half
• Carolina missed 8 of its first 10 shots, allowing the Wildcats to jump out to a 10-4 lead at the first official timeout.
• The Tar Heels responded well, running to a 14-5 run to take an 18-15 lead. Jonathan Powell hit a pair of deep three-pointers, and Derek Dixon had scored four during the stretch with a layup and two free throws.
• UK used back-to-back steals and breakaway dunks by Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen to reignite the crowd and retake the lead at 23-20 minutes later.
• Dixon had one of his best halves of the season at point guard with Kyan Evans in foul trouble for much of the first half. Dixon finished the half with four points, two rebounds and an assist in 13 minutes off the bench.
• The Tar Heels committed seven first-half turnovers and the game was tied, 31-31, at the break despite a 22-15 UNC rebounding edge.
• Kentucky dominated inside, outscoring Carolina, 28-14, in the paint.

Second Half
• Veesaar scored 11 of UNC's first 18 second-half points but Kentucky held the Tar Heels at arm's length and led the entire second half until the Tar Heels tied the score at 56-56 at the final media timeout of the game.
• The Wildcats' three-point struggles stretched into the second half, as they missed 12 of their first 13 from behind the arc.
• Kentucky missed 13 consecutive shots during a late stretch, allowing Carolina to go a 6-0 run in 1:36 to tie the game at 56 with 3:47 to go. It was the first tie score in the game since 31-31 at halftime.
• A Veesaar dunk with 3:07 to play gave Carolina its first lead of the second half at 58-57, but UK responded immediately to retake the lead and force a UNC timeout with 2:37 left.
• Bogavac hit a three-pointer coming out of the timeout with 2:26 to play for a 61-59 lead, then fouled out shortly thereafter with 12 points.
• Jarin Stevenson created a key offensive rebound with a tip-out after a missed three-pointer by Dixon with 1:12 on the clock. After a Tar Heel timeout, Dixon drilled a step-back three-pointer for a 64-62 lead.
• UK responded with a layup, and Carolina called its last timeout with 31 seconds to go. Dixon's driving layup with 16.7 seconds left made it 66-64 Tar Heels.
• The Wildcats couldn't counter, missing a layup, then Wilson grabbed the rebound and hit one of two free throws to ice the impressive road win.

Notes
• Carolina and Kentucky are two of only three teams in NCAA history with at least 2,400 all-time wins (Kansas is the other).
• UNC is now 2-1 in the ACC/SEC Challenge (with a win over Tennessee and a loss to Alabama, both in Chapel Hill, prior to Tuesday night's win).
• The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with UK, 26-18.
• Carolina wore retro, 1980s-era uniforms for the game.

Up Next
Carolina will return to action at home on Sunday December 7 when it hosts Georgetown at 5 p.m. in the Smith Center.