Henri Veesaar's 26 points lead UNC past East Tennessee State, 77-58

Shelby Swanson, The News & Observer (Raleigh) on Dec 16, 2025

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — It took the Tar Heels a little while to get there, but North Carolina looked like a team that took last week’s lessons to heart.

Behind a renewed defensive effort late in the first half and a hot start to the second, No. 12 UNC rolled past East Tennessee State on Tuesday night at the Dean E. Smith Center, 77-58. The Tar Heels pulled away after a 12-0 run midway through the game put them up 15. The Buccaneers never cut the deficit to single digits after that point.

Coming off an uneven performance against South Carolina Upstate that left coach Hubert Davis publicly frustrated with his team’s preparation and effort — particularly on the defensive boards — North Carolina (10-1) delivered the kind of response necessary after conceding season-worst offensive rebounding totals in back-to-back games.

UNC’s frontcourt asserted itself once again, with Caleb Wilson (20 points) and Henri Veesaar (26) each hauling in eight rebounds.

The Buccaneers (8-4), who entered as one of the Southern Conference’s top teams, struggled to generate rhythm as North Carolina’s depth and pressure gradually wore them down. ETSU had won seven straight at home this season and had not faced a Power Four opponent in the regular season entering Tuesday.

With final exams now behind them, the Tar Heels looked freer, faster and far more connected — turning a potential mid-December trap game into a statement performance that reflected a sense of urgency. With Seth Trimble on the mend, there are plenty of reasons for confidence as North Carolina looks ahead to a neutral-site showdown with Ohio State in Atlanta on Saturday.

Here’s what we learned on Tuesday night:

UNC responds, battles on the defensive boards

Davis’ biggest point of dissatisfaction following UNC’s sluggish win over South Carolina Upstate on Saturday was the team’s performance on the boards.

“One of the things that we always consistently talk about is we’ve got to rebound the basketball,” Davis said during his Monday night radio show, “and we got outrebounded in regards to offensive rebounds. That just can’t happen.”

On Tuesday night, however, North Carolina limited the Buccaneers to just six offensive boards — five of which came in the first half.

Veesaar led the way with eight defensive boards. As previously reported by the N&O, defensive rebounding is an area Veesaar honed in on this offseason with assistant coach Sean May.

Last year at Arizona, Veesaar played limited minutes and was tasked with simply boxing out his assigned man and ensuring they didn’t get the rebound.

“I was kind of happy with that and that was my role,” Veesaar said during Davis’ radio show on Monday night. “This year, Big May put a big emphasis on making the contact first and then going to get the rebound.”

Wilson finished Tuesday night with five defensive rebounds. Evans followed with three. The 6-2 point guard fought relentlessly on the boards, despite being undersized. His ability to turn those defensive rebounds into quick offense helped contribute to his team-high six assists.

Veesaar continues to impress

In addition to his impressive performance on the defensive boards, Veesaar recorded his career-best scoring output.

Veesaar dropped 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field — including two 3-pointers. He also earned two trips to the line and sank all four free throws.

Veesaar’s previous career best (24) came in the team’s 85-70 win against St. Bonaventure over Thanksgiving break. Tuesday night marked the third time this season Veesaar has scored 20 or more points. He also had 20 against Kansas.

The win over ETSU also marks the 10th time in 11 games that either Veesaar or Wilson have led the team in scoring and rebounding.

Balanced scoring attack beats the Buccaneers

North Carolina’s start to the game — which saw the Tar Heels take 11 of their first 17 shots from deep — may have raised some eyebrows.

But UNC made 45% of those looks, generating tons of open opportunities by pitching the ball around the perimeter or driving inside and kicking out.

North Carolina’s balanced offensive attack proved textbook. At one point later in the game, UNC scored 12 straight points in the paint — part of 36 total paint points on the night.

The Tar Heels racked up 18 assists and also recorded their second-highest shooting percentage of the season at 54% — just half a percentage point off from their best mark of the year.