Saturday night delivered another instant classic between the UNC and Duke basketball teams. North Carolina trailed for nearly the whole game, but a last-second Seth Trimble shot delivered a 71-68 victory.
Several Tar Heels (19-4, 7-3 ACC) experienced their first taste of the Tobacco Road rivalry, including starting center Henri Veesaar. The Arizona transfer struggled in the first half, going scoreless and only snagging a pair of rebounds, but Veesaar looked like a brand-new player out of halftime.
Advertisement
Veesaar finished his first taste of UNC-Duke basketball with a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double, including the game-tying 3-pointer at 68-all.
After North Carolina downed its archrival in front of a sold-out Dean Dome, Veesaar touched on his second-half explosion.
“I feel like second half – just I hadn’t got any shots first half – so second half, I kind of felt like I needed to demand the ball more,” Veesaar said. “And just being able to get in my spots and be more aggressive. And I wasn’t the first half because just getting two shots up, one being a three and one being a putback, isn’t good enough.”
You take Veesaar’s point output away – and the visiting Blue Devils (21-2, 10-1) win by nine. In one particular second-half stretch, Veesaar scored six straight UNC points, a factor they needed for a chance at coming back. Veesaar added another double-double to his ACC-leading total, now putting himself two ahead of teammate Caleb Wilson.
Advertisement
Veesaar and his North Carolina teammates next travel down south Tuesday, with a 7 p.m. tip-off against Miami (FL). Will fans watch an aggressive Veesaar from opening tip, or watch Saturday night’s version?
Regardless of how Veesaar plays in the Sunshine State, the Tar Heels are extremely thankful Veesaar broke out of his slump, in second-half action against that team from Durham.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on. Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball: Henri Veesaar saves best for second half vs. Duke
