Looking to improve to 5-0 on the early season, Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program conclude a five-game home stand when they host Navy at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
This will be the final tune-up before a week off for the Tar Heels, as the next time they take the court will be next Tuesday in Fort Myers, Florida as part of the Fort Myers Tip-Off Event.
Before the Tar Heels turn their attention to St. Bonaventure, they have to take care of business against Navy first. The Midshipmen come to Chapel Hill holding a 2-2 record thus far, struggling against the more notable programs that they have faced in the early going.
2025-2026 Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall record: 3-0
Conference Record: 0-0
Home Record: 3-0
Away Record: 0-0
Neutral Site Record: 0-0
Top-25 Wins: 1
Navy Midshipmen
Overall record: 2-2
Conference Record: 0-0
Home Record: 1-1
Away Record: 1-1
Neutral Site Record: 0-0
History
North Carolina hasn't been very good against Navy, holding a 6-14 lifetime record against the Midshipmen.
In fact, the Tar Heels' winning percentage against them is the lowest ever against an opponent that they've played at least 20 times. While there's plenty of prior history between the two teams, Tuesday night's duel will be just the second game ever in Chapel Hill, as the last occurred on February 8, 1936.
The two squads last met in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, a game in which the No. 1-seeded Tar Heels won in convincing fashion by a score of 88-52 in Hartford, Connecticut. Antawn Jamison led all scorers with 17 points while hauling in 14 rebounds, as four other Tar Heels provided double-figure scoring in the win.
If you care to go back in time to watch some of the game, you can do so below:
Key Players
North Carolina
Caleb Wilson (Fr. Forward)- 20.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists
Henri Veesaar (Jr. Center)- 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Luka Bogavac (Jr. Guard)- 11.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists
Navy
Jinwoo Kim (Jr. Guard)- 15.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Donovan Draper (Sr. Forward)- 12.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists
Aidan Kehoe (Sr. Center)- 12.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
Thrive from beyond-the-arc
This game features two teams who have quite the different mindset offensively.
Navy doesn't shoot many shots from three-point range, having only attempted 64 shots from deep through its first four games. North Carolina isn't shy about shooting the basketball from beyond the arc, nearly doubling the number of shots from three that the Midshipmen have taken.
The UNC basketball program feasts in the post, but has some elite shooting as well. In this game, expect the Tar Heels to look to get out and run, setting up open looks for their shooters to capitalize on.
Force Navy into mistakes
The Midshipmen have struggled protecting the basketball, averaging 14.5 turnovers per-game. In the team's two losses thus far, Navy averaged 17.5 turnovers, as controlling the basketball has been a major issue (especially against higher level competition).
For the Tar Heels, they need to use their size and athleticism to force havoc on the defensive end of the floor, forcing Navy into mistakes that can lead to transition opportunities on the other end of the floor.
Something to Watch for
In the absence of Seth Trimble, freshman Derek Dixon has stepped up nicely in an extended role off the bench.
Over the previous two games, Dixon has started to see his shots fall, scoring 16 total points over his 34 minutes of action. This comes after he connected on just one bucket in the Tar Heels' first two games, a sign that the freshman guard is starting to get comfortable as his role increases.
As he continues to progress, it will be interesting to see what Dixon can provide consistently on both ends of the floor. There will be learning curves (as is the case with typically every freshman), but Dixon's early sample size is so far proving that he has the makings of being an impact player for years to come in Chapel Hill.
Projected Starters
No. 0- Kyan Evans
No. 44- Luka Bogavac
No. 8- Caleb Wilson
No. 15- Jarin Stevenson
No. 13- Henri Veesaar