North Carolina’s backcourt drew heavy criticism for its poor play against NC State, but the group answered in the win over Syracuse.
Seth Trimble took over in the second half, Luka Bogavac, better known for his perimeter shooting, repeatedly attacked the lane, and Jonathan Powell buried a pair of transition 3-pointers before halftime. Derek Dixon’s shooting slump continued, but he steadied the offense with four assists and defended well, slowing Syracuse’s transition game.
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While Trimble’s second-half performance was huge, he was a nonfactor in the first half and took only one shot. Including the NC State loss earlier in the week, Trimble was 1-for-10 from the field when you combine that game and the first half against Syracuse before he sparked UNC’s turnaround with a dynamic second half.
“He’s big for us,” said freshman point guard Derek Dixon, following UNC’s 77-64 win over the Orange. “Captain, we all build off his energy, and it’s on both ends defensively and offensively. At halftime, we all challenged him, ‘You’ve got to do better, we need you.’ And he stepped up to it.”
It did not happen right away. Trimble went scoreless after the break until the clock showed 13:53, when he finally added something new to the box score. Attacking from the right side, he drove into the lane and flipped in a left-handed layup off the glass over a Syracuse defender’s outstretched arm.
That basket ignited a 31-13 surge that turned a 44-44 tie into a comfortable UNC lead. Trimble finished with 13 points, five rebounds, one assist and two steals, along with an obvious jolt of energy and leadership.
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“I just decided I had to be aggressive and stop playing like a little kid,” Trimble replied when asked what changed for him over that final stretch. “I was not really going to through the motions, but I was just out there, I wasn’t really assertive enough, and I was kind of letting the game go by me, you know, taking it for granted.”
Trimble Will be Key in UNC’s Next Three Gmes
Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) drives against Syracuse Orange guard J.J. Starling (2) during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
With Wilson sidelined, Trimble will be needed in UNC’s next three games.
In UNC’s upcoming game against No. 24 Louisville on Monday, the Tar Heels will face the tough task of limiting Louisville’s backcourt, which is one of the nation’s best and, like NC State’s, has size and the ability to shoot from downtown.
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Louisville freshman point guard Mikel Brown leads the Cardinals at 18.6 points and nearly five assists, approaching 20 points in ACC play while shooting 45.3% from the field and 40.6% from 3. Wings Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely add scoring punch, while 6-foot-6 guard/forward J’Vonne Headley stretches the floor. Sixth man Adrian Wooley adds 8.1 points and 3.7 rebounds off the bench.
Because of this, Trimble is the most important player on the court other than Henri Veesaar because of what he brings to both ends.
The Tar Heels need “Second Half Seth.”
That version took down then-No. 14 Virginia on the road at John Paul Jones Arena, a place that UNC had won in only once since 2012 before this year’s meeting. That version took Pitt and Syracuse to the cleaners as the Tar Heels won both games by double-digits. And of course, Duke fell victim to “Second Half Seth” at the buzzer in one of the greatest plays in the history of the Carolina-Duke rivalry.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Seth Trimble emerging as Tar Heels’ X-Factor
