By R.L. Bynum
LEXINGTON, Ky. — It didn’t matter that Derek Dixon had never played in the high-pressure moments that kept coming in a battle of Blue Bloods on national TV at a classic college basketball venue.
The freshman not only came through in No. 16 North Carolina’s 67–64 victory Tuesday night over No. 18 Kentucky at Rupp Arena, but he may also have signaled a changing of the guard in the Tar Heels’ backcourt.
Dixon, who scored a season-high nine points with three rebounds and two assists in a season-high of nearly 24 minutes, clearly wasn’t intimidated by the hostile environment or the gravity of the situation.
“I feel like I’ve just always been that way,” Dixon said. “I’m always straight-faced, not too emotional, not too high, not too low. I feel like that’s just a characteristic about me. So I feel like it treats me well.”
That straight-faced demeanor gave way to plenty of smiles after the game, after doing an ESPN interview on “SportsCenter” and getting a water-dousing from his teammates in the dressing room.
The latter reflected how much the team embraced Dixon’s moment.
“I got a little bit of water thrown on me,” Dixon said. “It was pretty loud. It was a good feeling.”
Junior Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans has struggled to find a rhythm at point guard that seemed to come easily for Dixon. He hit a step-back 3-pointer and scored on a drive in the final minute, both plays UNC had to have to pull off the victory, and showed off classic point guard instincts.
“I had gotten some good runs, and I felt like I was pretty confident out there on the floor,” Dixon said. “So I felt like down the stretch, I just got that same confidence.”
The 3-pointer came after a broken play that forced Dixon to improvise.
“We had a play called, and the look wasn’t there that we were looking for,” Dixon said. “Six seconds, I think, on the shot clock, so I just had to go make a play. And that’s the move I work on, you know, creating space, getting this step back. And luckily, the shot was able to go in.”
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On the go-ahead layup, Dixon said, “Just trying to make the right read, saw the lane open up, took the layup.”
Caleb Wilson, who had his fifth double-double despite a tough shooting night, said the team had full faith in Dixon.
“Honestly, he’s a great player, and just gonna keep showing how,” Wilson said. “I felt like it was great. It’s early in the season; got to figure out what works and pull it through. Playing this team that’s trying to figure us out. A lot of focus on me and Henri [Veesaar], so it was smart to give him the ability to show what he can do.”
Wilson was on the wing when Dixon launched the 3-pointer.
“I was just like, he’s gonna put it up, and I’m just gonna be able to get off the rebound,” Wilson said. “But he made it. I was like, ‘This is crazy.’ But then he came back and hit the layup again.”
Veesaar, who had a double-double and set the screen for Dixon’s drive, had plenty of respect for Dixon’s ability to sink a perimeter shot in a key moment.
“It wasn’t the best shot, but he had courage to take it and make it,” Veesaar said. “That’s the big part. The end of the game is never going to be perfect. It’s just whoever plays harder and whoever plays with confidence wins. I think he had the confidence, the courage to shoot it, and he made it, and that’s incredible.”
For Dixon, the night was about more than two clutch shots. His college career began by combining for 16 minutes and going scoreless in the first two games. But he watched from the bench, worked hard in practice, and waited for Coach Hubert Davis to give him that chance.
“I think it’s just trusting the process,” he said. “Coach Davis has a good plan for me, for us, and I trust in him, and he trusts in me. And a game like tonight, it was good to be able to get out there and have that experience. It’s all a process.”
The process will undoubtedly evolve into Dixon spending more time with the ball in his hand as the Tar Heels’ season progresses.
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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