LEXINGTON, Ky. — North Carolina men’s basketball has learned a simple truth under head coach Hubert Davis: if you don’t crash the offensive glass, you’re going to run. And after last week’s disappointing loss to Michigan State — a night where the Tar Heels were outworked and out-executed on second-chance opportunities — the players ran plenty.
In that loss, UNC collected 12 offensive boards but turned them into only six second-chance points. When the team gathered to review film, the players immediately recognized the problem. Junior center Henri Veesaar admitted that their mentality had been too relaxed, too undisciplined, and far from the championship identity they want to embody.
“The first couple games, we could get an offensive rebound and then we kind of had the mentality of, ‘Oh, I got an offensive rebound so I can shoot whatever,’” Veesaar said. “That game we really addressed that issue.”
And on Tuesday night, the No. 16 Tar Heels responded in the only way they knew how — with grit, toughness, and relentless effort on the boards.
Against No. 18 Kentucky, in a game where both offenses sputtered late, UNC’s aggression and urgency on the offensive glass became the difference. The Tar Heels overcame a six-point deficit down the stretch and ultimately pulled out a 67-64 road win thanks largely to a season-best performance in extra-chance opportunities. North Carolina piled up 20 offensive rebounds — a massive +12 advantage — and converted them into a season-high 22 second-chance points.
For Davis, the performance was validation of what he has preached since preseason: rebounding is not simply a statistic; it’s an attitude.
“You always go back and say that rebounding is the most important factor in the outcome of the game, and we got 20 offensive rebounds,” Davis said. “That’s who we have to be.”
The significance of that identity was never clearer than in the final minutes.
With just over a minute to go and UNC trailing by one, first-year guard Derek Dixon fired a deep three that missed long. But the shot was only the beginning of the play. Junior forward Jarin Stevenson — who has quietly become one of the team’s most dependable rebounders — crashed hard, fought off two defenders, and secured the offensive board that North Carolina urgently needed.
UNC called a timeout to draw up a play. And moments later, Dixon redeemed the earlier miss, pulling up and draining a clutch three that gave the Tar Heels the lead for good.
“I remember the play,” first-year guard Caleb Wilson said. “I tried to tip it out because I saw Jarin crash. Jarin got the board. It was great — it was a turning point in the game. Those are winning plays.”
Even though the scoring play itself was broken and Dixon’s shot wasn’t the initial design, the rebound that made it possible was no accident. Stevenson finished with five boards — slightly above his season average — and once again showcased how valuable his presence is even on nights when he isn’t lighting up the scoring column.
“It gives you a second chance,” Stevenson said. “You can shoot a bad percentage, but if you get the offensive rebounds, it gives you another opportunity.”
And UNC needed every bit of those extra opportunities. The Tar Heels’ offense stalled throughout the second half. The starting guards combined to shoot just 2-of-8 from the field after halftime. As a team, UNC shot 44 percent overall and only 25 percent from behind the arc, enduring a nearly five-minute stretch without a made field goal.
Yet despite the cold shooting, the team never allowed those empty offensive spells to dictate momentum. The second-chance effort kept them afloat — and then pushed them ahead.
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope didn’t sugarcoat the issue.
“We just got crushed on the glass,” Pope said.
The Wildcats struggled defensively against UNC’s ball-screen action, and that opened up rebounding lanes for back-side crashers like Stevenson, Wilson, and Veesaar. Their activity was constant, their timing sharp, and their intent unmistakable.
Wilson said that this level of rebounding urgency is built daily in practice — especially after the Michigan State game served as a wake-up call. He believes that the Tar Heels have the potential to become the best offensive rebounding team in the country. While that goal is still in progress, Tuesday’s dominant effort pushed UNC up 44 spots nationally, from 92nd to 48th in offensive rebounds per game.
And because of that effort, the team avoided another dreaded conditioning session.
Davis won’t be making the Tar Heels run today. They earned this one.
North Carolina may still be finding its offensive rhythm, but its identity on the glass is beginning to take shape. If Tuesday night was any indication, the Tar Heels are learning that toughness, energy, and second-chance opportunities can overcome even the toughest shooting nights — and can win road games against top-20 opponents.
In Lexington, UNC didn’t just beat Kentucky.
They outworked them. They out-hustled them. They imposed themselves on the offensive glass — and walked out with a defining early-season victory.
