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Jarin Stevenson
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: SMU Rapid Reactions
January 3, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from the ACC road opener.
By Adam Lucas
1. SMU had too much firepower in a 97-83 win that dropped Carolina to 1-1 in the ACC. The Mustangs scored a whopping 58 points in the second half.
2. SMU was just too efficient offensively--and Carolina couldn't find a way to stop it. The Mustangs led the points in the paint category, led in fast break points, and hit 14 of 27 from three. They got even better in the second half, when they hit a scalding 71.4 percent from the field. They finished at an even 60 percent for the game.
3. A great deal of that damage was done by three players. Boopie Miller had 27 points and 12 assists, Corey Washington scored 23 points and BJ Edwards had 15 points and six assists. In all, five Mustangs scored in double figures.
4. The common thread in Carolina's two losses is that the opposing point guard did whatever he wanted. Jeremy Fears had great success for Michigan State, and Miller was the key player on Saturday.
5. And that's while the Heels are still sorting through who will run the team offensively in decisive stretches. Seth Trimble had the ball in his hands for most of the second half and finished with five assists and zero turnovers, but it's a lot to ask him to run the team and also provide the primary backcourt offense. Trimble and Luka Bogavac did the majority of the distributing, as Bogavac had a team-high six assists.
6. Trimble's 20 points marked just the second time this season that someone other than Caleb Wilson or Henri Veesaar led UNC in scoring. The two frontcourt stalwarts had off afternoons by their standards, combining to shoot 10-for-22. Wilson led the team with seven rebounds and Veesaar added six.
7. Carolina got a big contribution from Jarin Stevenson, who was a key part of Carolina's 16-8 bench point advantage in the first half. Stevenson made two three-pointers in his eight first-half minutes, the first time this year he's made multiple 3s. His defensive flexibility was also important against SMU's array of athletic scorers. He added a second half three-pointer and finished with 16 points and four rebounds.
8. In his halftime interview on the Tar Heel Sports Network, Carolina assistant coach Brad Frederick said SMU was more physical than the Tar Heels in the early part of the first half. That resulted in an 18-14 Mustang lead in points in the paint in the first 20 minutes. They eventually led that category, 36-28, for the game.
9. It's very rare that you see a team outrun Carolina, but the Mustangs definitely did it. Their 15 fast break points were the most by an opponent against Carolina this season, and it was the Tar Heels who looked a little tired in the second half.
10. A great crowd of Tar Heels turned out for Carolina's first game in Dallas since the 1990 NCAA Tournament game against Arkansas. A sophomore named Hubert Davis came off the bench to score 11 points in that game.
11. That crowd included numerous former players, including representatives from four national title teams. Sam Perkins was there from the 1982 team, Pat Sullivan and George Lynch from the 1993 squad, Sean May, Jesse Holley and Raymond Felton from the 2005 team and Tyler Zeller from the 2009 champions.
12. Carolina has a week off to work on things before hosting Wake Forest next Saturday.
1. SMU had too much firepower in a 97-83 win that dropped Carolina to 1-1 in the ACC. The Mustangs scored a whopping 58 points in the second half.
2. SMU was just too efficient offensively--and Carolina couldn't find a way to stop it. The Mustangs led the points in the paint category, led in fast break points, and hit 14 of 27 from three. They got even better in the second half, when they hit a scalding 71.4 percent from the field. They finished at an even 60 percent for the game.
3. A great deal of that damage was done by three players. Boopie Miller had 27 points and 12 assists, Corey Washington scored 23 points and BJ Edwards had 15 points and six assists. In all, five Mustangs scored in double figures.
4. The common thread in Carolina's two losses is that the opposing point guard did whatever he wanted. Jeremy Fears had great success for Michigan State, and Miller was the key player on Saturday.
5. And that's while the Heels are still sorting through who will run the team offensively in decisive stretches. Seth Trimble had the ball in his hands for most of the second half and finished with five assists and zero turnovers, but it's a lot to ask him to run the team and also provide the primary backcourt offense. Trimble and Luka Bogavac did the majority of the distributing, as Bogavac had a team-high six assists.
6. Trimble's 20 points marked just the second time this season that someone other than Caleb Wilson or Henri Veesaar led UNC in scoring. The two frontcourt stalwarts had off afternoons by their standards, combining to shoot 10-for-22. Wilson led the team with seven rebounds and Veesaar added six.
7. Carolina got a big contribution from Jarin Stevenson, who was a key part of Carolina's 16-8 bench point advantage in the first half. Stevenson made two three-pointers in his eight first-half minutes, the first time this year he's made multiple 3s. His defensive flexibility was also important against SMU's array of athletic scorers. He added a second half three-pointer and finished with 16 points and four rebounds.
8. In his halftime interview on the Tar Heel Sports Network, Carolina assistant coach Brad Frederick said SMU was more physical than the Tar Heels in the early part of the first half. That resulted in an 18-14 Mustang lead in points in the paint in the first 20 minutes. They eventually led that category, 36-28, for the game.
9. It's very rare that you see a team outrun Carolina, but the Mustangs definitely did it. Their 15 fast break points were the most by an opponent against Carolina this season, and it was the Tar Heels who looked a little tired in the second half.
10. A great crowd of Tar Heels turned out for Carolina's first game in Dallas since the 1990 NCAA Tournament game against Arkansas. A sophomore named Hubert Davis came off the bench to score 11 points in that game.
11. That crowd included numerous former players, including representatives from four national title teams. Sam Perkins was there from the 1982 team, Pat Sullivan and George Lynch from the 1993 squad, Sean May, Jesse Holley and Raymond Felton from the 2005 team and Tyler Zeller from the 2009 champions.
12. Carolina has a week off to work on things before hosting Wake Forest next Saturday.
Players Mentioned
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