No. 25 UNC Defeats No. 19 Kansas After Furious 2nd Half Rally

North Carolina trailed by 10 points in the first and 37-29 by halftime. They made 18 out of 23 shots after halftime, and 24 out of 36 (66.7%) in the second, on their way to 58 second-half point against Bill Self’s Jayhawks.Seth Trimble said that the win validates Davis’ vision and thoughts. Trimble scored 13 of his 17 first-half points in the second half while leading the defensive effort to chase down Darryn Peterson. A big win like this takes off some of the early pressure from him. It gives him and the whole team confidence for the rest of the year.”Changing course”At that point, the Tar Heels were losing games of this kind far too frequently. UNC won its first game against Kansas after a fan-led whiteout sparked by a post on social media by Caleb Wilson. It was UNC’s first win against Kansas since November 2002, when Matt Doherty was coaching UNC against Jayhawks coach Roy Williams — before Williams returned to his alma mater to take over the Tar Heels the following season.The Jayhawks had won five straight meetings in the series between programs with a combined 10 NCAA titles along with that interwoven history with names like Williams, Dean Smith and Larry Brown holding deep ties to both schools. Davis won the 2022 championship game during his first year at the school, as well as the NCAA Elite Eight in 2012 and the Final Four of 2008 where Kansas beat them 40-12.”I wanted this new team, this new group, to have evidence of what it’s like to play in a game like this in the Smith Center, and to come up big,” Davis said. “I just wanted them to have a taste of what it’s like to be here.”Standout attemptsThe versatile 6’10” Wilson, who joined Peterson to give this game a potential one and done NBA freshman, finished with a strong show from start to finish, including 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals. This included a soft touch with multiple fading turns as well as his exuberant enthusiasm, from diving to the floor and urging the crowd to make noise in the last seconds.Wilson said, “I’m trying to impress my coach and the whole world.” “I’m going to let everyone know who i am,” Wilson said.Trimble was the 6-3, fourth-year returning player who transformed from a non-factor in the first-half to a catalyst in the second-half as UNC controlled the tempo. Self became frustrated after Veesaar scored back-to-back push the tempo goals, prompting him to burn a quick two-minute timeout. Trimble was credited with a defensive effort against Peterson who scored 22 points (8-for-14) on an 8-for-14 basis. Davis noted Trimble’s performance after the team adjusted its defensive plan by stopping switching, which left perimeter players mostly on their own.Self said that Trimble “covered Darryn” in a way he thought was excellent. Caleb probably was the best in the match. Seth and Henri are also worthy of mention.Davis arrived at his post-game press conference wearing athletic warmup gear, rather than his usual sideline outfit of sportscoats and slacks. He was forced to do so because the players had soaked his with water in the locker-room.Davis said: “I won’t remember the result, but I’ll remember how they jumped around in the changing room.” I’ll remember their smiles.Want great stories delivered straight to your inbox?” To receive daily personalized emails, create or log into your FOX Sports Account and follow teams, leagues and players!
2025-11-08 05:03:51