By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — For four games, North Carolina’s defense had slipped from its identity to anxiety-inducing, a talking point that lingered through three losses and uneven performances.
But, on Wednesday night, the No. 22 Tar Heels defended better, making it the backbone of a 91–69 victory over Notre Dame that felt more like a reset. After giving up at least 84 points in losing three of their previous four, UNC defended better, communicated better and closed out on perimeter shooters better in the second half.
The turnaround was not traced to a schematic overhaul or a single practice tweak, but to a collective reckoning that began with frustration and hardened into urgency. Players and coaches alike pointed to the California trip as the turning point, when defensive breakdowns forced a deeper look in the mirror and a wakeup call.
“I felt like last week, we were letting one play affect us on the other end of the play, and I talked to them about that,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “I said basketball is a game of mistakes. Next play, next possession.
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“We didn’t play well in California. Let’s not dwell on that and talk about it and think about it for the rest of the year,” he said. “I wanted to be positive with these guys, give them confidence to go out there and play. And they were able to do that [Wednesday].”
The confidence manifested most clearly in the second half. UNC entered the locker room with a modest nine-point lead but came out with a defensive edge that had been missing, stringing stops together and opening the floor for a fast-paced offensive surge.
Players said the shift was rooted in renewed emphasis on pride and communication.
“We just stuck the shooters; that’s probably the biggest thing,” said Caleb Wilson, who led UNC with 22 points and five assists. “We communicated. Talked loud. It was a lot of communication out there, and we were physical, like we didn’t let any other team impose their vote on us.”
That physicality and talk carried over from practice, where the tone shifted sharply after the losses at Stanford and Cal.
Center Henri Veesaar described a group that was stung into focus.
“I just think everybody hated losing those two games, so it kind of created a sense of urgency where we needed to change,” said Veesaar, who produced a double-double (15 points and 12 rebounds) and was a team-high +30. “I think everybody was willing to give 100% effort in every practice that we had. So, just doing that set us in the perfect position to win this game.”
Guard Derek Dixon, making his second consecutive start at point guard, echoed that sentiment, framing the improvement as mental as much as technical.
“I don’t think necessarily there’s a specific thing,” he said after scoring 11 points and three 3-pointers. “I think it’s just a repeated message about it. You’ve got to take pride in our defense. And we build off our defense. When we get stops, we’re able to get out, transition, run, and get easy buckets. So just really emphasize the defense.”
The response was especially evident in the second half, when North Carolina’s defensive stops fueled an offensive avalanche and, for one game at least, erased doubts.
“We started off on an 8–0 run, and we just continued it throughout the second half,” Davis said. “And, so, that’s something that we hadn’t done in a while, and I was very proud and very happy for them.”
The rebound was not just about emotion. Players pointed to the California losses as necessary discomfort that clarified standards.
“It just kind of exposed what we need to do better,” Wilson said. “And everybody’s a competitor. So, losing kind of brings out that edge and everybody, so I feel like it was good for us to have it earlier this year than later.”
Forward Jarin Stevenson added that the response was as important as the result.
“We had a tough trip down to California,” he said. “I feel like we responded well with practice, getting in the gym, and just bringing up the intensity. This was an important game, a bounce-back game. So, just getting back here, working on different things, giving all our effort and stuff like that is big, and getting our confidence back.”
For at least one night, Carolina’s defense looked like something more than a work in progress. It looked like the foundation again.
UNC season statistics
| 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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