By R.L. Bynum
DALLAS — SMU lived from downtown Dallas, and North Carolina was helpless to stop the 3-pointer from coming or get Caleb Wilson involved down the stretch.
Double-teaming Wilson has become commonplace, but no team has been as effective as the Mustangs. Their overall defense, combined with perimeter production and white-hot second-half shooting, led to a 97–83 SMU victory Saturday at a packed Moody Coliseum.
Carolina (13–2, 1–1 ACC) couldn’t stay in front of the Mustangs’ quick guards, which often led to drives to the rim or kick-outs for some of their 14 3-pointers, and they often exploited mismatches when UNC switched on defense.
SMU used 71.4% second-half shooting to pull away, with guard Boopie Miller scoring 18 of his 27 points in the second half.
“They were just able to get anywhere that they wanted to offensively,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “Boopie was in control of the ball, whether it’s one-on-one, ball-screen action, his patience, being able to get to his spots, score, distribute. We tried to take the ball out of his hands, and guys stepped up and made shots, but he still was able to get the ball to his teammates at the right spot.”
Wilson was held to 13 points, his lowest output since scoring 15 against Kentucky, getting off only one shot in the last 15:21, a steal and a dunk with 1:26 remaining.
“We tried to make it hard for him to catch it, push him out, and then, when he was in the scoring area, in the low post during the mid-post, we tried to double team him,” SMU coach Andy Enfield said. “We doubled with our five man and then tried to make other people make shots against us.”
SMU denied him the ball, and star Miller juked him to the floor at one point before sinking one of his three 3-pointers.
“They’re real quick,” Davis said of SMU’s guards. “Not only their athleticism, but their length and physicality. I felt like it affected us. Even though we shot 50% from the field, I felt like each one of our cuts, our passes, our scores was just hard, it was difficult.”
Luka Bogavac, who had eight points and a team-high six assists, was blunt in his assessment of UNC’s defensive effort.
“We were soft on defense,” he said. “When we wanted to double-team on their point guard, he wasn’t really double-teamed because of his open vision to look to which pass he wants to make.”
Playing point guard for much of the second half, Seth Trimble scored a season-high 22 points and dished out five assists. But with UNC starting its offense so far from the basket in so many cases, it was hard for him to generate offense consistently.
“They were in passing lanes, denying,” Davis said. “Every dribble, every cut, every pass I felt like was difficult. We were starting our offense almost at half court.”
Trimble said the Tar Heels tried to adjust but couldn’t do it consistently.
“We just couldn’t break them down,” he said. “Sometimes I was able to get in there and make plays, but we didn’t have that consistently today.”
SMU’s physical play from center Samet Yiğitoğlu and others made it challenging for Wilson and Henri Veesaar (14 points, 6 rebounds while battling foul trouble) to navigate inside. Jarin Stevenson, who played his share at the five with Veesaar in foul trouble, scored nine of his 16 points on 3-pointers.
“For Henri and Caleb, it was difficult for them to catch the ball at the spots that they wanted to catch it,” Davis said. “I thought they did a good job of mixing it up [with the double-teams] to keep them off balance.”
Davis said the Mustangs made it tough for UNC to even start its offense.
“Every dribble, every cut, every pass, I felt like was difficult. They were in passing lanes, denying,” Davis said.
SMU forced turnovers on UNC’s first two possessions, a bad Kyan Evans pass and a Wilson travel, and jumped to a 13–4 lead on a pair of transition layups.
Derek Dixon ended a nearly 4½-minute UNC scoreless drought with a corner 3-pointer and a Stevenson layup cut the lead to four. The teams traded baskets over the next six possessions, but with three SMU 3s against UNC’s 2s, the Mustangs’ lead stretched to nine.
Two Tar Heels who had been struggling from the perimeter, Bogavac (one 3 in the previous four games) and Stevenson (one 3 in the previous seven games), sank 3-pointers during a 13–2 run to take a two-point lead, 31–29, on a Veesaar 3-pointer at 4:50 of the first half.
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“It felt good to see those go in,” Stevenson said. “I’ve been working on my shot, and I just wanted to stay confident.”
Trimble hit a 3 with 27 seconds left before Miller’s layup at the buzzer left it tied at 39 at halftime.
SMU made five of its first six shots after halftime, taking a six-point lead, 53–47, after two 3-pointers, including one from B.J. Edwards at the 16:04 mark. The lead reached 10 on a Jaden Toombs layup.
A Veesaar 3 started a 9–3 UNC run to cut its deficit to four with 11:52 left. But a Miller jumper capped an 18–9 SMU run to push its lead to 13 on two Miller free throws with five minutes left. It reached a high of 16 on a Miller jumper with 2:40 remaining.
“They have guys that can make shots, and you have to give them credit,” Davis said. “But when you have a point guard that can control the ball like Boopie did tonight, it definitely does play a factor.”
SMU’s Corey Washington scored a season-high 23 points and five 3-pointers.
Notes
— The Tar Heels get a week off before returning home to face Wake Forest at 6 p.m. Saturday (ACC Network) ahead of games at Stanford (Jan. 14) and Cal (Jan. 17) the following week. The Deacons (10–5, 0–1) won 81–78 at home Saturday against Virginia Tech.
— The previous most points UNC had given up this season was 74 against Kansas, Radford and Michigan State. It was the most points by a Carolina opponent since the 103–101 four-overtime loss to Alabama in Portland on Nov. 27, 2022.
— UNC’s 12 3-pointers were the most in a loss since scoring 12 in the 2024 Sweet 16 loss to Alabama in Los Angeles.
— The Mustangs’ 23 assists were the most against UNC since UConn had 25 on Dec. 5, 2023.
— SMU’s 71.4% second-half shooting was the best by a UNC opponent in any half since Gonzaga shot 72% in Spokane on Dec. 18, 2019. Its 58 second-half points were the most by a Carolina opponent since Kentucky scored 48 in the second half on Dec. 18, 2021.
— SMU led the ACC with 16 fast-break points before the game and scored 15 on Saturday.
— The Mustangs averaged 23.8 free throw attempts per game entering Saturday, but only attempted four in the first half and 16 for the game. The Mustangs came in averaging 7.6 3-pointers and shooting 34.4% from outside the arc, but scored 14 and shot 51.9%. It was the most against UNC this season after Kansas and Florida State each scored 12.
— It was the second time this season UNC has been in a tie game at halftime, with the other one being the win at Kentucky.
— Bogavac was listed as “probable” on the ACC availability report. It’s a minor issue with his right leg, but he started and wore a sleeve over that leg.
— UNC won the opening tip for only the third time this season.
— Carolina leads the series with SMU 3–2 after losing its first game at Moody Coliseum.
SMU 97, No. 12 UNC 83
| 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
UNC schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday | at Georgetown |
| 15 | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| 30 | Wednesday | vs. California |
| January | ||
| 2 | Saturday | at Boston College |
| 5 | Tuesday | at Louisville |
| 9 | Saturday | vs. N.C. State |
| 13 | Wednesday | at Florida State |
| 16 | Saturday | vs. Stanford |
| 19 | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia |
| 23 | Saturday | at Syracuse |
| 26 | Tuesday | vs. SMU |
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
| February | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Notre Dame |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Monday | vs. Louisville |
| 13 | Saturday | at No. 4 Duke |
| 20 | Saturday | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | Monday | vs. No. 24 Miami |
| 27 | Saturday | at Virginia Tech |
| March | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
