By R.L. Bynum
Henri Veesaar’s status for Tuesday’s game at N.C. State remains the biggest question for No. 16 North Carolina.
UNC coach Hubert Davis said Monday morning at the weekly ACC Zoom coaches press conference that Veesaar continues to improve after missing Saturday’s win over Pittsburgh, but the final determination won’t come until later, and he’ll be evaluated at Monday’s practice.
Veesaar has been dealing with both illness and a lower-extremity issue, thought to be an Achilles issue, and Davis said the junior center has made progress on both fronts. Veesaar is officially listed as “questionable” on the ACC availability report released Monday night.
“He had the flu, and that’s just not for one day, and he is feeling a lot better from that,” Davis said. “And then the lower-body extremities, it’s getting better every day.”
More on Tar Heels
— No. 16 UNC at N.C. State: TV info, stats, scouting Wolfpack, keys to game, comparisons and notes
— UNC slips in AP Top 25 men’s poll after splitting two games
— If Wilson has scaphoid fracture, his season could be in peril
— UNC holds NET position with three straight Quad 1 games ahead
—UNC’s smaller lineup created more spacing, ball movement on offense, and versatility on defense
— Short-handed Heels play faster, show needed resilience to beat Pitt
— Day of redemption for High after enduring plenty of lows
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The Tar Heels already had to adjust once without Veesaar and freshman Caleb Wilson, and those absences forced UNC into a different approach in Saturday’s 79–65 victory over Pitt.
With a thinner frontcourt rotation, the Tar Heels leaned into different lineups and saw other players elevate their games. Junior Jarin Stevenson, in particular, provided a spark with his aggressiveness around the basket.
“I was really pleased with the aggressiveness of his moves around the basket against Pitt,” Davis said. “When he’s aggressive, he definitely takes our team to a different level.”
Davis added that Stevenson has taken his offensive game to another level in recent weeks.
“Since Ohio State, or maybe even the SMU game, I think he’s been in a better rhythm, more comfortable, more confident on the offensive end,” Davis said.
The lineup uncertainty also prompted Davis to hold a team meeting the morning of the Pitt game, so players would have clarity on their roles and scenarios before tipoff.
“I felt like there were so many scenarios in play in terms of lineups going into the game,” Davis said. “I wanted to give them a clear picture of this, what it’s going to look like this way, and this is what it’s going to look like that way.”
Even with personnel changes, Davis said the fundamentals remain constant, especially rebounding, an area UNC has continued to emphasize. The Tar Heels have been outrebounded in the last three games and four times in the last six games.
Davis said that he brings up three factors, defense, rebounding and taking care of the basketball the most to his team, pointing to rebounding as the No. 1 factor in the outcome of games.
He stressed that it cannot fall solely on big men Veesaar, Stevenson or Zayden High.
“You always say, it’s a UNC rebounding game,” Davis said. “Everybody has to get involved.”
Now, the challenge shifts to an N.C. State team that Davis said is disruptive defensively and dangerous offensively. The Wolfpack leads the league in turnover margin (+3.81) and is second in steals (8.38 per game)
“They’re really good defensively,” Davis said. “They do a really good job of getting steals and deflections, disrupting you on the defensive end.”
Offensively, Davis pointed to the Wolfpack’s shooting and interior scoring balance. The Wolfpack leads the league in 3-point-shooting percentage (39.4%) and are second in 3-pointers per game (10.6).
“They can really shoot the basketball,” he said. “But they also can get consistent points in the paint.”
A key piece is McNeese State 6–6 transfer point guard Quadir Copeland, whose size and playmaking ability Davis compared to a former UNC standout.
“He reminds me a little bit of Theo Pinson,” Davis said. “Quadir reminds me a lot of him with his ability just to make plays, not only for himself, but for his teammates.”
As UNC heads into a rivalry road game, Davis said the Tar Heels will need the same adaptability they showed against Pitt, and potentially more, depending on whether Veesaar is able to go.
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Duke | 17–1 | 29–2 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 10 Virginia | 15–3 | 27–4 | 13 | 11 |
| Miami | 13–5 | 24–7 | 32 | 28 |
| No. 19 North Carolina | 12–6 | 24–7 | 23 | 19 |
| Clemson | 12–6 | 22–9 | 36 | 33 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 11–7 | 22–9 | 14 | 25 |
| N.C. State | 10–8 | 19–12 | 35 | 45 |
| Florida State | 10–8 | 17–14 | 69 | 74 |
| California | 9–9 | 21–10 | 65 | 49 |
| Stanford | 9–9 | 20–11 | 59 | 51 |
| SMU | 8–10 | 19–12 | 39 | 50 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–10 | 19–12 | 53 | 52 |
| Wake Forest | 7–11 | 16–15 | 64 | 81 |
| Syracuse | 6–12 | 15–16 | 83 | 92 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–13 | 12–19 | 109 | 146 |
| Notre Dame | 4–14 | 13–18 | 93 | 121 |
| Boston College | 4–14 | 11–20 | 159 | 217 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–16 | 11–20 | 167 | 210 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
No. 1 Duke 76, No. 19 North Carolina 61
Boston College 77, Notre Dame 69
Clemson 79, Georgia Tech 76
No. 24 Louisville 92, Miami 89
Florida State 92, SMU 78
Stanford 85, N.C. State 84
Wake Forest 80, California 73
Pittsburgh 71, Syracuse 69, OT
END OF REGULAR SEASON
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday through Saturday
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Duke | 17–1 | 29–2 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 10 Virginia | 15–3 | 27–4 | 13 | 11 |
| Miami | 13–5 | 24–7 | 32 | 28 |
| No. 19 North Carolina | 12–6 | 24–7 | 23 | 19 |
| Clemson | 12–6 | 22–9 | 36 | 33 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 11–7 | 22–9 | 14 | 25 |
| N.C. State | 10–8 | 19–12 | 35 | 45 |
| Florida State | 10–8 | 17–14 | 69 | 74 |
| California | 9–9 | 21–10 | 65 | 49 |
| Stanford | 9–9 | 20–11 | 59 | 51 |
| SMU | 8–10 | 19–12 | 39 | 50 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–10 | 19–12 | 53 | 52 |
| Wake Forest | 7–11 | 16–15 | 64 | 81 |
| Syracuse | 6–12 | 15–16 | 83 | 92 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–13 | 12–19 | 109 | 146 |
| Notre Dame | 4–14 | 13–18 | 93 | 121 |
| Boston College | 4–14 | 11–20 | 159 | 217 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–16 | 11–20 | 167 | 210 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
No. 1 Duke 76, No. 19 North Carolina 61
Boston College 77, Notre Dame 69
Clemson 79, Georgia Tech 76
No. 24 Louisville 92, Miami 89
Florida State 92, SMU 78
Stanford 85, N.C. State 84
Wake Forest 80, California 73
Pittsburgh 71, Syracuse 69, OT
END OF REGULAR SEASON
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday through Saturday
| Date | Month/day | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 17 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 11 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 9 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | W, 71–68 | vs. No. 1 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | L, 75–66 | at No. 25 Miami | 19–5, 7–4 |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 79–65 | vs. Pittsburgh | 20–5, 8–4 |
| 17 | Tuesday | L, 82–58 | at N.C. State | 20–6, 8–5 |
| 21 | Saturday | W, 77–64 | at Syracuse | 21–6, 9–5 |
| 23 | Monday | W, 77–74 | vs. Louisville | 22–6, 10–5 |
| 28 | Saturday | W, 89–82 | vs. Virginia Tech | 23–6, 11–5 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 67–63 | vs. Clemson | 24–6, 12–5 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 76–61 | at No. 1 Duke | 24–7, 12–6 |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte | |
| 12 | Thursday | L, 80–79 | Quarterfinals: vs. Clemson | 24–8 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 19 | Thursday | L, 82–78, OT | First round: vs. VCU in Greenville, S.C. | 24–9 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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