After a brief interlude last week where someone besides a UNC big man was awarded Tar Heel Blog Player of the Game honors, we return to the status quo in the wake of UNC’s impressive 81-61 win over Georgetown on Sunday night. Somehow, I doubt too many UNC fans are disappointed.
Veesaar and freshman Caleb Wilson once again dominated the scoring for the Heels. Wilson finished as the game’s leading scorer with 20 points, while Veesaar finished second with 18. Both big men also dominated on the glass as well, racking up 29 total rebounds between them (Veesaar 15, Wilson 14). Their combined size and defensive presence were a big reason the Hoyas only shot 33% for the game and continued a trend of the Heels defending the interior at an elite level. Veesaar or Wilson has led UNC in scoring in every game this season except one (the Radford game, if you were wondering).
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While Wilson or Veesaar both had excellent games, the Estonia center gets the nod for his work outside of his double-double. On a day that when the Heels overall struggled from three-point range, Veesaar went 2-3 from long distance. He also dished out three assists and swatted three Georgetown shot attempts to fill up his box score. Veesaar seems to have become one of the emotional leaders on the floor for the Heels as well; when Hoyas guard Malik Mack stuck out his foot and tripped Derek Dixon on his way down the floor, it was Veesaar’s animated prostrations to the officials that ultimately led to Mack getting assessed a flagrant foul. It’s good to see this year’s team sticking up for each other. It feels like some of the camaraderie usually seen on good teams has been missing from some recent UNC squads.
Dixon also deserves a hat tip for continuing his momentum from the end of the Kentucky game. The freshman guard scored 14 points on 5-7 shooting, including 3-5 from three. He’s currently shooting 45% from long range for the season in limited minutes. His playing time will increase if starting guard Kyan Evans continues to struggle with foul trouble and should give UNC another scoring threat.
