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North Carolina guard Derek Dixon (3) drives to the basket between Syracuse guards Nate Kingz (4) and Nathan George (11) in the first half on Monday, February 2, 2026 at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
rwillett@newsobserver.com
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UNC edged Syracuse 87-77 as Caleb Wilson scored 22 and Veesaar posted a double-double.
- Tar Heels committed 11 turnovers, allowing Syracuse 12 points and a late 10-point surge.
- Bench scoring rose (Powell, Bogavac combined 22), but defense and fouls worry coaches.
Chapel Hill
It was a close call, but No. 14 North Carolina avoided falling victim to a pre-Duke trap game that’s proven dangerous for the Tar Heels in recent years. Despite an ending that UNC coach Hubert Davis called “unacceptable” — one in which Syracuse knocked down 13 of its last 17 shots — it wasn’t enough to change overcome the Tar Heels, who won 88-77 on Monday night at the Smith Center.
Since 2020, UNC held a 1-5 record in midweek games ahead of the first UNC-Duke game of the year, losing three straight. Well, make that 2-5.
Despite the win, Davis said he’s putting “a lot of stock” in the way North Carolina finished the game.
“We always talk about finishing possessions, finishing halves, finishing games and that’s just unacceptable,” Davis said. “I thought we were playing really well on both ends of the floor… but the last nine minutes and 32 seconds? Just a departure of what allowed us to get the lead.”
Caleb Wilson led North Carolina (18-4, 6-3 ACC) once again with 22 points — 10 coming from the free throw line. That extends Wilson’s UNC freshmen records to a program-best 22 double-figure scoring games to begin his career and 16 games scoring 20 or more points.
Henri Veesaar recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season. After two seasons without a double-double at Arizona, Veesaar now has the most in the ACC this season. You don’t have to go too far to find the runner-up in that category: Wilson.
Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman torched the Tar Heels for 18 first-half points on six-of-nine shooting. He only added five more point by the end of the game as the Orange failed to get him involved.
The Orange (13-10, 4-6 ACC), though, didn’t stand down. After falling behind by more than 30 points midway through the second half, Syracuse went on a hot streak — at one point making 11 of 12 field goal attempts to cut the deficit to 10 points. That prompted Jarin Stevenson to call a timeout as the Tar Heels attempted to inbound the ball with just under a minute and a half remaining.
Out of the huddle, Derek Dixon turned the ball over, which Syracuse took advantage of to hit a 3-pointer — pulling the Orange within eight points of the lead at 82-75. A layup soon afterward cut it to six.
The Tar Heels clutched up at the free throw line to hold on to the win.
Here are some takeaways from the game:
Tar Heels turnovers out of character
The Tar Heels committed over five times the number of turnovers they did against Georgia Tech. Here’s an explanation.
North Carolina tied a school record for fewest turnovers in its last game, committing just two (both in the first half), while assisting on 21 of a season-high 36 made field goals in Saturday’s 91–75 win at Georgia Tech. Over the course of the season, even as the guard rotation has fluctuated, the Tar Heels’ ball security has been historically good. North Carolina entered Monday night averaging just 9.48 turnovers, the fewest in program history (the previous low is 10.08 in 2023-24).
That improved ball security has helped fuel UNC’s offensive efficiency. Since the start of ACC play, North Carolina ranks third nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Tar Heels’ 130.7 points per 100 possessions (as of Monday) only trails Houston and Illinois. UNC also entered Monday among the nation’s best in assist-to-turnover ratio (9th) and turnover rate (17th), while also sitting top-20 in offensive efficiency.
This game against Syracuse marked a departure from that trend. The Orange scored 12 points off of 11 UNC turnovers, with 10 of those points coming in Syracuse’s second-half surge.
“I’m sure we’re going to watch film on the end of the game, but we definitely know what we did wrong,” Veesaar said. “Just stay calm. Be strong with the ball. Don’t turn it over. Don’t ever let go. Don’t give up the momentum if you have it. Just keep pushing, because at one point they’re going to give up. But we kind of thought we had it before they gave up.”
Luka Bogavac finding his groove
Bogavac had another notable performance on Monday night with 10 points, eight of those coming in the second half.
He made three 3-pointers and scored 16 points in Saturday’s win at Georgia Tech and now leads the Tar Heels with 33 made threes on the season. Bogavac has been a major plus during Carolina’s recent stretch, posting a +40 over the last three games.
After Bogavac’s trio of triples against the Yellow Jackets on Saturday, opposing coach Damon Stoudamire made a point of highlighting the Montenegrin’s impact on the game.
“Soming off the bench, the kid [Bogavac] has a plus 16,” Stoudamire said Saturday. “That’s the second-best plus/minus on the team for the day. And you lose by 16 points…that’s where the game was lost from us.”
Part of that is Bogavac’s improved defense and aggression on the boards, which Davis complimented on Monday.
“I thought Luka was really good defensively,” Davis said. “He did a really nice job defending, trying to help out rebounding the basketball. He was getting to the offensive glass. [Bogavac] didn’t get any offensive rebounds, but he went, and that’s a job and a requirement of our wing players.”
Jonathan Powell pops off for 12 off bench
By halftime, Jonathan Powell had scored eight points, including two triples, on a perfect shooting performance. That’s the same amount of points the West Virginia transfer had managed in the last four games combined.
Powell’s 12 points against Syracuse marked his second-best scoring performance of the season, behind his 17 points against USC Upstate in December. Monday night, though, is his best performance against a power conference opponent.
And on an otherwise sleepy night — the Tar Heels had already amassed a 32-point lead with roughly 10 minutes to play — Powell played with plenty of flair. His 3-pointers were followed by a celebration, whether that be a simple flex or recreating the “aura farming” dance popularized by the viral clip of the Indonesian boat kid, Rayyan Arkan Dikha.
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Powell, like Bogavac, is not short on confidence. In his introductory press conference back in October, the sophomore wing called himself the “best shooter in the country.” But he, like Bogavac and fellow transfer Kyan Evans, have struggled at times to find a consistent stroke from deep.
If Powell and his bench counterparts can continue to produce like they did with their 29 point outing on Monday night, that bodes well for the Tar Heels entering the home stretch of the season.
“He definitely stretches out the court,” Wilson said. “And you know defensively, he’s a dog too, so he just brings up both ends, and he’s a heck of a shooter.”
One area for improvement, though, would be staying out of foul trouble. Powell exited the game with 2:03 remaining after being called for his fifth foul, this one sending JJ Starling to the line for three shot attempts.
This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 9:32 PM.
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