Offense Explodes In 89-82 MBB Win Over Hokies

Saturday, February 28

Chapel Hill

8:30 p.m.

North Carolina

23-6,11-5ACC

Virginia Tech

18-11,7-9ACC

Virginia Tech

North Carolina

Henri Veesaar tied his career high with 26 points.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

February 28, 2026 | Men's Basketball

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By: Matt Bowers

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Jonathan Powell scored 12 points in the first half and Henri Veesaar had 18 in the second as No. 18 North Carolina shot over 50 percent in both halves and topped Virginia Tech, 89-82, on Saturday night in the Smith Center.

Veesaar tied his career high with 26 points, his seventh career game with 20-plus and sixth this season, adding seven rebounds and two three-pointers. Powell finished with 15 points for his third double-figure scoring game of 2025-26 and second in ACC action. He hit a season-high four three-pointers, grabbed five rebounds and just missed tying his career high of 17 points.

Veesaar was rightfully pleased with his performance.

"I feel like today I did a good job," he said. "Overall, I'm very happy about how aggressive I was, and I think it's my career high in shots taken. So I feel like just staying in that aggressive mindset, I'm really happy with my performance."

Hokie head coach Mike Young praised Veesaar. "He's big as a house, he's got really long arms, he's got an incredible touch around the basket," Young said. "He's good, he's a great player. I saw him last year in Arizona, and lo and behold, he's in the ACC. He is a really good college basketball player."

Seth Trimble also played very well for the second game in a row, scoring 20 after pouring in a career-high 30 in Monday's win over Louisville. He hit 7 of 12 shots, drew eight fouls, added a team-high four assists and scored 13 of his 20 in the decisive second half.

Zayden High scored 12 points for the fourth double-figure scoring game of his career (all this season) and his third in five games, adding five rebounds and hitting all eight of his free throws with a team-high plus-13 in plus/minus.

The Tar Heels shot 51.7 percent in the first half, a blistering 60.9 percent in the second and 55.8 percent in the game, including a 40 percent effort from three-point range (8 for 20). The Hokies were no slouches offensively, hitting nine three-pointers and shooting 50 percent overall in an efficient effort.

The Tar Heels moved to 23-6, including 11-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Hokies lost their third game in four outings, falling to 18-11, 7-9.

Carolina improved to 17-0 at home this season, tying the record for most wins in the Smith Center in a season (17-1 in 2011-12). The Tar Heels are 70-9 in five seasons under head coach Hubert Davis in the Smith Center.

After Saturday's action, Carolina stands tied for fourth place in the ACC standings with Clemson at 11-5 behind Duke (15-1), Virginia (13-3) and Miami (12-4) with two games to play. UNC will host the Tigers for sole possession of fourth place on Tuesday night in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are the only team in the conference to beat both the Blue Devils and Cavaliers.

Carolina is 13-2 this season and 72-11 in five seasons under Davis when scoring 80 or more points. The Tar Heels are 11-1 in 2025-26 and 46-2 all-time under Davis when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.

"I do think we've become a group that's edgier," Davis said in his postgame press conference. "I'd like to get more of an edge, but I do feel that way. You know, we're finding ways, whether it's to get a stop, get a rebound, execute on the offensive end, take care of basketball, make free throws, make a shot. The resiliency of this group through a lot of changes this year, the way that they have reacted and responded has been fantastic."

Neoklis Avdalas led the Hokies with 19 points, with Tobi Lawal and Ben Hammond adding 16 apiece. Amani Hansberry scored 11 before fouling out with 3:09 to go.

Both Carolina and Virginia Tech topped 50 percent shooting from the floor in the first half, and the game was tied at 44-all at halftime. The Tar Heels hit 10 of their first 13 and 11 of their first 15 shots after intermission but could never fully shake the pesky Hokies.

"[Seth] Trimble is playing really well, Henri [Veesaar] is playing really well," Young said postgame. "I don't think it's a whole lot more elaborate an answer than that. They were a little bit better offensively than we were defensively."

How It Happened
First Half
• The Hokies took a 16-14 lead into the second media timeout, using a 7-0 run to take its first lead.
• Carolina built its biggest lead of the half at 32-24, only to see the Hokies rip off a 9-0 run to retake the advantage at 33-32 at the final timeout before the break.
• UNC outrebounded the Hokies, 17-11, but Tech dominated points in the paint, 22-12, and fast break points, 11-2, in the first half.
• The Tar Heels got 21 points from their bench, including 12 from Powell and six from High.
• Carolina hit 6 of 14 three-point tries in the opening 20 minutes, including 3 of 4 from Powell.
• Both teams shot better than 50 percent in the first half (53.1 percent by Virginia Tech and 51.7 percent by UNC).
• The first half included six ties and eight lead changes.

Second Half
• Veesaar scored eight points in the first five minutes coming out of the break and had 10 by the second media timeout. The Tar Heels went on a 7-0 run to take a 64-57 lead with 11:44 remaining, hitting 7 of 9 shots at one point.
• Carolina hit 11 of its first 15 shots after halftime (73.3 percent) to match its largest lead to that point at 71-63.
• At one point late in the first half, the Hokies had a 20-8 edge in points in the paint, but the Tar Heels closed that gap to 38-34 at the end of the game.

Up Next
Carolina will play its final home game of the season when it hosts Clemson on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN. The game will mark the final home appearances for seniors Trimble and Elijah Davis.