By R.L. Bynum
Henri Veesaar has played well most of the season, but his showing in the win at Virginia was a step back, and one that he and No. 16 North Carolina spent the past week addressing.
The Cavaliers’ post-ups bothered him defensively, and he combined with Caleb Wilson for only five rebounds, well below their usual impact.
“They did a really good job against him, and he really couldn’t get into a rhythm on both ends of the floor,” Davis said at a Friday press conference at the Smith Center ahead of Saturday’s 2 p.m. game (ACC Network) at Georgia Tech. “We talked about … being more ready defensively for guys posting up and going at him. And from an offensive standpoint, just moving around a little bit more.”
Davis made clear that one off night hasn’t shaken his confidence in the 7-footer’s season-long contributions.
“I’m so happy that Henri’s here. He’s having a terrific season,” Davis said, adding that he expects Veesaar to have “a really good game against Georgia Tech on Saturday.”
Although he had season-lows of seven points and one rebound against Virginia, Veesaar’s growth has been evident this season. He already has 10 games with double-digit rebounds after never posting one at Arizona. Davis said the staff saw that potential early: a player who could “check a number of different boxes.”
“I thought the length would be great for us defensively, to be able to protect the rim and block and alter shots. Prior to the first four ACC games, we were doing that pretty well,” Davis said, pointing out Veesaar’s ability to hit 3-pointers, score around the basket, run the floor and be a passing threat with experience at a power conference school. “Just an overall versatile player who has tremendous size.”
What may be surprising, even to Davis, is how much Veesaar has improved on the offensive glass, something he stresses to the Tar Heels “90 times a day.” Davis said that Veesaar’s instinctive feel for where the ball will come off the rim has evolved into more consistent second‑chance production.
Even with Veesaar’s growth, Davis insists UNC’s rebounding issues aren’t about one player. Notre Dame and Virginia have grabbed a combined 34 offensive rebounds in UNC’s past two games, something Davis said “is not sustainable” no matter how well the Tar Heels shoot or take care of the ball.
He emphasized that rebounding must be “a UNC rebounding game,” not a Caleb-and-Henri one. Guards leading the way in Charlottesville, with Jonathan Powell getting seven rebounds and Seth Trimble five, was encouraging to Davis, even if unexpected.
But that’s the point, Davis said: “It takes everybody on board. It just can’t be one or two guys.”
He specifically cited a recurring issue: players leaking out early. Too often, he said, UNC’s “anticipation and eagerness to get to the offensive end before the ball has been secured has been a problem.”
Coming off the comeback 85–80 win at Virginia and without a midweek game, Davis said this stretch has been less about rest and more about refinement. He mentioned defensive rebounding, offensive execution, and a better free-throw percentage as priorities that have been “a constant message” throughout the week.
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The growth he saw last week in how the players handled the Notre Dame win and rallying from 16 down at Virginia mattered. But he said momentum isn’t self‑sustaining.
“When you have that momentum, you have to fight to keep that momentum, and when you don’t, you have to fight to get it,” Davis said.
To drive the point home, Davis even showed the team a clip of Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye talking about embracing difficulty. Davis rattled off a list of things that were hard to do, including winning, practicing, boxing out, talking on defense, sprinting down the floor, getting to the offensive glass, making open shots, getting to the free-throw line, and just playing at Carolina in general.
“It’s hard, and that’s good, and that hardness is something that you have to walk towards and embrace,” Davis said. “And I told the guys, I said, ‘I know it’s hard, but if we can figure out how to get this done in the next two months, this is something that could be impactful for the rest of your life.
Davis bristled at calling Saturday’s trip to Atlanta a trap game, two years after a loss there derailed a promising start. To him, Georgia Tech “has our full attention because they’re worthy of it.” He praised Coach Damon Stoudamire’s team for its transition attack, 3-point shooting ability, and defensive variety, noting that the Yellow Jackets “play extremely well at home.”
Davis touched on the continued emergence of freshman leaders such as Wilson and point guard Derek Dixon, saying they have “embraced” leadership differently from the era when most players had four-year college careers.
“They are called to be leaders. I wasn’t called to be a leader my freshman year,” Davis said. “Both of them have embraced and felt comfortable and confident enough to do it within their own personality.”
With Dixon entrenched as the starter and Kyan Evans coming off the bench, that has meant many adjustments for the Colorado State transfer. Davis said he’s talked about how Evans has to fight to get his rhythm.
“Kyan is an established, accomplished player in college, and I’m so thankful that he’s here at Carolina,” Davis said. “He’s done a really nice job impacting winning in a number of different areas out there on the floor, and looking forward to when he’s knocking down 3s as well.”
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Duke | 8–0 | 19–1 | 2 |
| No. 22 Clemson | 7–1 | 17–4 | 29 |
| No. 17 Virginia | 6–2 | 17–3 | 16 |
| Miami | 6–2 | 17–4 | 36 |
| N.C. State | 6–2 | 15–6 | 27 |
| No. 16 North Carolina | 4–3 | 16–4 | 26 |
| SMU | 4–3 | 15–5 | 31 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–4 | 16–6 | 54 |
| No. 20 Louisville | 4–4 | 14–6 | 19 |
| California | 3–5 | 15–6 | 56 |
| Stanford | 3–5 | 14–7 | 77 |
| Syracuse | 3–5 | 12–9 | 80 |
| Boston College | 2–5 | 9–11 | 157 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–6 | 11–10 | 140 |
| Notre Dame | 2–6 | 11–10 | 82 |
| Wake Forest | 2–6 | 11–10 | 67 |
| Florida State | 2–6 | 9–12 | 107 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–6 | 9–12 | 118 |
* — Through Wednesday games
Monday’s result
No. 4 Duke 83, No. 20 Louisville 52
Tuesday’s results
Pittsburgh 80, Wake Forest 76, OT
N.C. State 88, Syracuse 68
No. 17 Virginia 100, Notre Dame 97, 2 OTs
Virginia Tech 71, Georgia Tech 65
Wednesday’s results
Florida State 63, California 61
Miami 79, Stanford 70
Saturday’s games
No. 4 Duke at Virginia Tech, noon, ESPN
N.C. State at Wake Forest, noon, TV TBA
Pittsburgh at No. 22 Clemson, noon, ACC Network
No. 17 Virginia at Boston College, 1:30, The CW
No. 16 North Carolina at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at No. 23 Louisville, 2 p.m., ESPN
California at Miami, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Stanford at Florida State, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Notre Dame at Syracuse, 6 p.m., The CW
Monday’s game
Syracuse at No. 16 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 13 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. 14 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. 7 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. 17 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 20 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 22 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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