When you commit to play for the UNC basketball program, you embrace the challenge of playing under the sport's biggest lights.
Derek Dixon is only a freshman, but his heroics on Tuesday night in Lexington will be remembered for quite some time.
The freshman guard scored two clutch buckets down the stretch to help North Carolina secure a victory over Kentucky in the ACC/SEC Challenge. With the win, the UNC basketball program now has two top-25 wins on its early season resume while improving to 7-1 on the year.
The moment wasn't too big for the freshman
We saw Dixon steal minutes from Kyan Evans, a move that Hubert Davis was more than justified in making. Especially down the stretch, Dixon showed the poise of an upperclassman, starting with this beautiful step-back three-pointer to give North Carolina the lead.
North Carolina guard Derek Dixon on UNC’s gameplan coming out of the timeout ahead of his two clutch, game-winning shots vs Kentucky:
— Vince Wolfram (@vincewolfram15) December 3, 2025
"On the three-pointer, we drew up a play. The play broke down, and I just had to make a play." pic.twitter.com/4L8SEMR1GV
A possession later, the Tar Heels were in need of a basket, and Dixon was once again up for the challenge. He drove into the lane and finished with a layup at the rim, a bucket that would end up being the deciding factor in this one.
A win is a win, but it was U-G-L-Y!
Kentucky went over 10 minutes in the second half where they didn't connect on a field goal. In that span, the Wildcats still held the lead for 99% of their insane drought, as North Carolina was only able to tie it as the game inched closer to the finish line.
Hubert Davis won't love the 12 turnovers his team committed and the sloppy play throughout (along with a rough night at the free throw line), but the Tar Heels will gladly load the bus to head back to Chapel Hill with another huge victory.
Henri Veesaar deserves his flowers
The seven-footer was outstanding once again, being the best player on the floor, especially in the second half. He scored 17 points on 8-12 shooting, as he also recorded 10 rebounds for another double-double effort.
What this means for UNC
The Hubert Davis-led Tar Heels have struggled in these types of games during his time as the head coach, but a win like this (as ugly as it was) might just help change that narrative.
Neither team was at its best on Tuesday night, but we're glad that the better blue came out on top.