The No. 12 North Carolina squad rolled into Moody Coliseum looking to keep its momentum alive, but instead, they ran headfirst into an SMU buzzsaw. The Mustangs galloped away with a 97-83 victory, handing the Heels their first conference loss and leaving Hubert Davis with plenty of game film to cringe at before next weekend.
While the first half ended in a respectable 39-39 stalemate, the second half was a defensive disaster. SMU came out of the locker room looking like the ’96 Bulls, shooting an absurd 71% from the field and dropping 58 points in the final 20 minutes. When your opponent is hitting shots at that clip, you’re not winning a basketball game; you’re just hoping to survive the highlight reel.
Veesaar and Wilson Struggle Against SMU
One of the biggest storylines of the afternoon was how effectively the Mustangs neutralized UNC’s typical heavy hitters. Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson, usually the engine room of this offense, looked disjointed. Sure, they both scraped together double digits, Veesaar with 14 and Wilson with 13, but it felt like quiet production.
Veesaar found himself in foul trouble again, and Wilson couldn’t quite impose his will in the paint. When your big men are getting outscored in the paint 36-28, it is a clear sign that the defensive interior has sprung a leak.
The Mustangs’ Backcourt Dominance
On the flip side, you have to tip your cap to SMU’s backcourt. Boopie Miller and Corey Washington were absolute torchbearers, combining for 50 points. Miller, in particular, was a headache UNC just couldn’t cure, dropping 27 points and making it look easy. It didn’t matter what defensive scheme the Heels threw at them; SMU had an answer, usually in the form of a swish.
Seth Trimble did his best to keep UNC afloat, pouring in a team-high 22 points, but basketball is a team sport, and one man can’t outshoot a team firing at over 50% from deep.
Looking Ahead: Wake Forest Awaits
Is it time to hit the panic button? Not quite. This is a good Carolina team that had a bad day against an offense averaging over 90 points a game. SMU exposes flaws because they play at a breakneck pace. But the defensive lapses, specifically the inability to get stops when the game started slipping away, are definitely concerning.
The Heels have a week to lick their wounds and figure out how to tighten the screws before Wake Forest comes to town. If they want to stay in the ACC driver’s seat, they’ll need to leave this Texas-sized loss in the rearview mirror fast.
