By R.L. Bynum
GREENVILLE, S.C. — As Seth Trimble comes to grips with the reality that he is a loss away from seeing his college career end, North Carolina’s ACC tournament loss led to plenty of frustration.
Ahead of Thursday’s 6:50 p.m. first-round game against VCU, Trimble described a week shaped as much by frustration as by intention as the No. 21 Tar Heels try to make sure a performance like that isn’t repeated.
“It wasn’t easy. It was one of those really frustrating losses,” Trimble said of the 67–63 loss to Clemson at a Wednesday press conference. “One of the things you always want to do is do good in your conference tournament, so just losing one right away was really tough.”
The disappointment lingered, but not aimlessly. Trimble described a locker room that internalized the loss and quickly turned it into structure.
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“We all took it hard and personal, but we’ve been here,” he said. “Coach Davis and the rest of the coaching staff did a really good job of getting us right back on track, working on the things we didn’t do good, and we’ve been doing that this whole week since then.”
Junior center Henri Veesaar, who could be off to the NBA after the season, framed it less as something to erase and more as something to carry.
“Just embracing having a chip on our shoulder, knowing that we have not showed up on the big stage,” he said. “So, we kind of have to do better this tournament. We have to realize to just focus on the game, don’t look ahead.”
That focus has been deliberate, almost methodical. Practices have been sharp, detailed, and rooted in urgency.
“Every day just have a good practice, think about the game plan, try to execute as much as we can, and keep 100 percent effort,” Veesaar said.
The loss itself, particularly the way it unfolded, offered a strange kind of fuel. North Carolina clawed back from an 18-point deficit before falling short, a rally that revealed both potential and inconsistency. Trimble pointed to that stretch as both encouragement and a challenge.
“After a tough game like that, it gives you a reminder of the team you can be,” he said. “The frustrating part is you know why you can’t be that team for a full 40 minutes, and we had to ask ourselves that question.”
Veesaar saw the same sequence as proof of something deeper in the roster.
“I think it just showed the resilience of the group, just being able to fight back,” he said. “We just have to find the juice to bring it 40 minutes and just play with the same energy and confidence.”
Attention has now shifted fully to VCU, a team that presents a different kind of test. Trimble described a lineup built on versatility and spacing, one that demands discipline on the perimeter.
“They’re a guard-heavy team. All of their guards can really go,” he said. “They’re a team that really spaces the floor. They’re all incredible shooters, and they have very good spacing with a good drive-and-kick game.”
Veesaar echoed that assessment, emphasizing the strain VCU puts on defensive rotations.
“You can definitely tell they’re a confident team,” he said. “The way they go five out and try to drive close-outs and put teams in rotation, I think that’s going to be the key for us.”
South Regional
FIRST ROUND
Thursday’s games
Oklahoma City
No. 4 Nebraska (26–6) vs. No. 13 Troy (22–11), 12:40 p.m., truTV
No. 5 Vanderbilt (26–8) vs. No. 12 McNeese St. (28–5), 3:15 p.m., truTV
Greenville, S.C.
No. 6 North Carolina (24–8) vs. No. 11 VCU (27–7), 6:50 p.m., TNT
No. 3 Illinois (24–8) vs. No. 14 Penn (18–11), 9:25 p.m., TNT
Oklahoma City
No. 7 Saint Mary’s (Cal.) (27–5) vs. No. 10 Texas A&M (21–11), 7:35 p.m., truTV
No. 2 Houston (28–6) vs. No. 16 Idaho (21–14), 10:10 p.m., truTV
Friday’s games
Tampa, Fla.
No. 8 Clemson (24–10) vs. No. 9 Iowa (21–12), 6:50 p.m., TNT
No. 1 Florida (26–7) vs. No. 11 Lehigh–Prairie View winner, 9:25 p.m., TNT
SECOND ROUND
Saturday games
Oklahoma City
Nebraska–Troy winner vs. Vanderbilt–McNeese St. winner, TBA
Greenville, S.C.
Illinois–Penn winner vs. North Carolina–VCU winner, TBA
Oklahoma City
Houston–Idaho winner vs. Saint Mary’s (Cal.)–Texas A&M winner, TBA
Sunday game
Tampa, Fla.
Florida_Lehigh–Prairie View winner vs. Clemson–Iowa winner, TBA
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
Houston
Thursday, March 26
Tampa winner vs. Nebraska/Troy/Vandy/McNeese State
Greenville winner vs. Houston/Idaho/St. Mary’s/Texas A&M
REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Houston
Saturday, March 28
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ 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 | 6:50 p.m. | First round: vs. VCU in Greenville, S.C. | TNT |
| 21 | Saturday | TBA | (with Thursday win) Second round: vs. No. 13 Illinois or Penn | TBA |
| 26 | Thursday | Sweet 16 | Houston | |
| 28 | Saturday | Elite Eight | Houston | |
| April | ||||
| 4, 6 | Sat., Mon. | Final Four | Indianapolis | TBS |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
