It was an impressive win for the North Carolina Tar Heels on Sunday, as they beat the Georgetown Hoyas 81-61 at the Dean E. Smith Center.
Georgetown was able to stick around in the first half, jumping out to a quick lead. However, North Carolina would recover and head into halftime with a marginal 44-39 lead. The Tar Heels would impose their will in the paint, building a commanding lead early in the second half.
North Carolina was led by its usual consistent and dependable frontcourt, but it was also the second straight game when the supporting cast and bench played an impactful role in the team’s win.
It is good to know that the Tar Heels can depend on one or two players off the bench to provide valuable production in limited minutes. However, let’s focus on a few players in the starting lineup. Here are the grades for those players’ performances on Sunday.
Caleb Wilson
Stat line: 20 points and 14 rebounds
The freshman forward had gone through some growing pains in the last few games, specifically with his efficiency from the field. In the three games leading up to Sunday, Wilson had shot 15-of-44 (34 percent) from the field during that span.
Against Georgetown, the former five-star recruit went 7-of-12 from the field. Additionally, Wilson made all six of his free-throw attempts, which makes him even more impossible to slow down, as he will find one way or another to score.
If Wilson continues to illustrate efficient scoring, he possesses everything else to impact the game each and every week.
Henri Veesaar
Stat line: 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks
Veesaar has been elite the last four outings, averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 29-of-46 (63 percent) during that span. Sunday was another example of Veesaar taking matters into his own hands in the second half of the game.
The former Arizona center was instrumental on both ends of the court, altering shots on the defensive side, while continually drawing fouls and converting contested layups on offense.
Luka Bogavac
Stat line: 14 points and 4 rebounds
Efficiency has been Bogavac’s problem for the majority of the season. However, that was not the case for the veteran guard on Sunday. Bogavac went 5-of-10 from the field, which included 1-of-5 from three-point range. That area leaves a lot to be desired, but reaching 50 percent from the field is a step in the right direction.
