University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: UVA Rapid Reactions
January 24, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from the visit to Charlottesville.
By Adam Lucas
1. Carolina mounted an improbable comeback from a 16-point first half deficit and overcame Virginia on the road, 85-80. Five Carolina players scored in double figures.
2. The Tar Heels blitzed Virginia in the second half with 63.3 percent shooting from the field. They made five three-pointers and also hit 8 of 11 at the free throw line despite some late misadventures.
3. The key player in that decisive second half was Jarin Stevenson, who scored all 17 of his points in the second half. He had an old-fashioned three-point play with three minutes to go that gave Carolina a one-point lead, took a huge charge with 1:54 remaining, and swished a three-pointer with 90 seconds left. With Stevenson on fire, Henri Veesaar played just 13 minutes in the second half and took only one shot. Carolina's depth was a key factor in the win.
4. Carolina led 81-79 when it took a timeout with 43.8 seconds left. The Heels got the ball to Caleb Wilson on the move near the free throw line, and he turned in a great individual effort to make it 83-79. Nice design and nice execution for a huge basket. Wilson also had a huge offensive rebound off a missed free throw with 20 seconds left in a four-point game.
5. Carolina got back into the game by pushing the tempo. Just before midway through the second half, the Heels got a couple easy baskets with Derek Dixon pushing the pace and finding Jarin Stevenson and Caleb Wilson ahead of the defense. Those easy baskets eventually pushed Carolina into the lead with 12 minutes left.
6. Wilson put up 20 points total and tied Tyler Hansbrough for the most 20-point games by a UNC freshman in school history. Like everyone else in blue, he had a tough day on the glass, but he made plays when they were needed.
7. As advertised, Virginia was terrific on the glass. The Cavs had an overall 43-25 edge in rebounding, including 16 on the offensive glass that led to 17 second chance points. But the Heels did much better in the second half, limiting the home team to just three second chance points.
8. Luka Bogavac helped keep Carolina close during a tough first half. The native of Montenegro reversed the ACC results that had seen him go just 5-21 from three against ACC opponents and hit three in the first 20 minutes alone. Bogavac (11 points) and Wilson (11) were Carolina's primary sources of offense during a first half when it trailed 43-34 after a late 7-0 run. That run turned out to be very important and Bogavac finished with 14.
9. Stevenson's best offensive teammate in the second half was senior Seth Trimble, who scored 11 points in the second half, including a huge three-point play with 2:21 remaining that pushed it to a four-point lead. Trimble's two three-pointers early in the half also helped ignite the UNC offensive push.
10. Derek Dixon's evolution as a point guard continues. Even in a very hostile environment, he looked comfortable running the team and finished with 11 points and seven assists against just one turnover. With 22.6 seconds left in a three-point game, the Virginia native made a clutch front end of a one-and-one with the crowd going crazy. He has firmly taken over the lead guard role from Kyan Evans, who had a very uneven game while shooting 0-for-4 with a turnover in seven minutes.
11. Somewhat surprisingly, Carolina has now won three in a row against Virginia and five of the last seven.
12. The Tar Heels now have a week off before going back on the road to face Georgia Tech next Saturday afternoon.
1. Carolina mounted an improbable comeback from a 16-point first half deficit and overcame Virginia on the road, 85-80. Five Carolina players scored in double figures.
2. The Tar Heels blitzed Virginia in the second half with 63.3 percent shooting from the field. They made five three-pointers and also hit 8 of 11 at the free throw line despite some late misadventures.
3. The key player in that decisive second half was Jarin Stevenson, who scored all 17 of his points in the second half. He had an old-fashioned three-point play with three minutes to go that gave Carolina a one-point lead, took a huge charge with 1:54 remaining, and swished a three-pointer with 90 seconds left. With Stevenson on fire, Henri Veesaar played just 13 minutes in the second half and took only one shot. Carolina's depth was a key factor in the win.
4. Carolina led 81-79 when it took a timeout with 43.8 seconds left. The Heels got the ball to Caleb Wilson on the move near the free throw line, and he turned in a great individual effort to make it 83-79. Nice design and nice execution for a huge basket. Wilson also had a huge offensive rebound off a missed free throw with 20 seconds left in a four-point game.
5. Carolina got back into the game by pushing the tempo. Just before midway through the second half, the Heels got a couple easy baskets with Derek Dixon pushing the pace and finding Jarin Stevenson and Caleb Wilson ahead of the defense. Those easy baskets eventually pushed Carolina into the lead with 12 minutes left.
6. Wilson put up 20 points total and tied Tyler Hansbrough for the most 20-point games by a UNC freshman in school history. Like everyone else in blue, he had a tough day on the glass, but he made plays when they were needed.
7. As advertised, Virginia was terrific on the glass. The Cavs had an overall 43-25 edge in rebounding, including 16 on the offensive glass that led to 17 second chance points. But the Heels did much better in the second half, limiting the home team to just three second chance points.
8. Luka Bogavac helped keep Carolina close during a tough first half. The native of Montenegro reversed the ACC results that had seen him go just 5-21 from three against ACC opponents and hit three in the first 20 minutes alone. Bogavac (11 points) and Wilson (11) were Carolina's primary sources of offense during a first half when it trailed 43-34 after a late 7-0 run. That run turned out to be very important and Bogavac finished with 14.
9. Stevenson's best offensive teammate in the second half was senior Seth Trimble, who scored 11 points in the second half, including a huge three-point play with 2:21 remaining that pushed it to a four-point lead. Trimble's two three-pointers early in the half also helped ignite the UNC offensive push.
10. Derek Dixon's evolution as a point guard continues. Even in a very hostile environment, he looked comfortable running the team and finished with 11 points and seven assists against just one turnover. With 22.6 seconds left in a three-point game, the Virginia native made a clutch front end of a one-and-one with the crowd going crazy. He has firmly taken over the lead guard role from Kyan Evans, who had a very uneven game while shooting 0-for-4 with a turnover in seven minutes.
11. Somewhat surprisingly, Carolina has now won three in a row against Virginia and five of the last seven.
12. The Tar Heels now have a week off before going back on the road to face Georgia Tech next Saturday afternoon.
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