The North Carolina Tar Heels and Kentucky Wildcats are no stranger to wild, classic battles on the basketball court. Tuesday night in Lexington was no different.
UNC and Kentucky entered halftime deadlocked at 31, only for the host Wildcats to quickly pull ahead. North Carolina’s defense countered a cold shooting spell, while offense came through in the clutch later.
Advertisement
Thanks to freshman guard Derek Dixon scoring five points in the final six minutes, the Tar Heels came from behind for a much-needed, 67-64 victory.
UNC (7-1) trailed by six points with five minutes remaining, then the magic started happening. Star freshman Caleb Wilson, who finished with his fifth collegiate double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds), scored four quick points and cut North Carolina’s deficit to two.
Nearly 30 seconds later, backup center Zayden High tied the game at 56, making a contested layup to force a Kentucky (5-3) timeout. Malachi Moreno made a free throw for the host Wildcats, then Henri Veesaar dunked to give his Tar Heels the lead right back. Otega Oweh’s layup returned Kentucky the lead, then Luka Bogavac drained a clutch three of his own. 61-59, good guys.
The Wildcats nailed three free throws, only for Dixon to drain a 3-pointer, returning a 2-point lead to UNC. Dixon broke a 64-all tie moments later, Wilson made his second free throw and North Carolina exited Rupp arena extremely happy.
Advertisement
Even with ugly moments throughout, Tuesday night was exactly what the Tar Heels needed. Take a look at five big takeaways from this Blue Blood battle.
Derek Dixon needs to start going forward.
Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) goes to the basket against Kentucky Wildcats forward Brandon Garrison (10) and guard Jasper Johnson (2) during the first half at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Give Dixon the keys to UNC’s offense. On a team loaded with offensive talent, it was the Tar Heels’ freshman point guard who took over late, scoring five of their final six points.
Dixon nailed a go-ahead three, stepping back to make it over the Kentucky defender. On North Carolina’s ensuing possession, Dixon converted on a contested layup.
Kyan Evans was the starter entering Tuesday night, but Dixon needs to be the guy going forward.
Advertisement
Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar are the best post duo in college basketball
Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) celebrates a basket during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Recording a double-double is tough enough. How about when two players accomplish the feat – in the same game?
Veesaar and Wilson both notched double-doubles against Kentucky. Veesaar scored 17 points and added 10 rebounds, while Wilson scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
The best college basketball teams have two, great big men. It’s still early in the 2025-26 season, but UNC’s star post duo is amongst the sports’ best.
Defense is this team’s most underrated asset
Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) attempts to grab the rebound against North Carolina Tar Heels forwards Jarin Stevenson (15) and Zayden High (1) during the first half at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
When a team’s offense isn’t clicking, that team can only hope defense rises to the challenge. UNC’s defense came through big-time Tuesday night, holding Kentucky without a field goal for nearly 11 minutes in the second half.
Advertisement
This allowed North Carolina to find its footing offensively, then click in the final five minutes.
Free throw shooting is an issue
Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) goes to the basket against Kentucky Wildcats forward Brandon Garrison (10) during the first half at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
UNC only made nine of its 15 free throw attempts (60 percent), with Wilson draining the final one. Bogavac made just one of his four free throws, Wilson converted on just 5-of-8 attempts, while Veesaar and Dixon combined for three makes.
The charity stripe is a huge difference-maker come tournament play. Can the Tar Heels fix this glaring issue, particularly as they get deeper into non-conference play?
The 2025-26 NCAA Tournament resume is already WORLDS better
Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jarin Stevenson (15) celebrates as he runs off the court after the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
UCLA was the only Power Four win on UNC’s 2024-25 non-conference schedule. Through one month of their 2025-26 season, the Tar Heels already have wins over Kansas and Kentucky, a pair of historic Blue Bloods. North Carolina is also beating the teams it needs to with ease.
Advertisement
Both the above signs point to future NCAA Tournament success for UNC. Can NCAA Championship #7 come back to Chapel Hill?
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Five takeaways from Tuesday comeback win at Kentucky
