What a night it was in Chapel Hill!
For the first time since 2002, the UNC basketball program defeated Kansas. The Tar Heels rode an incredible second half performance to capture this huge early season win, one that will very likely end up a Quad 1 victory for North Carolina's NCAA Tournament resume.
Kansas led for most of the first half, but North Carolina hung tough. They earned their first lead of the night at the 6:01 mark, as back-to-back three pointers from Zayden High and Henri Veesaar helped make that happen.
However, Kansas controlled the rest of the first half, carrying a 8-point lead into the break.
The second half was all Carolina, led by the dynamic duo of Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar. While the shots weren't falling during the first half of action, the Tar Heels found a way to put the ball in the basket over the final 20 minutes of play, using a 27-9 run to start the half to pull away from the visiting Jayhawks.
Wilson was as good as advertised, shining brightly on one of college basketball's biggest stages. The five-star freshman scored a game-high 24 points while adding 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals to his stat line. Veesaar had an impressive night as well, finishing with 20 points and 4 rebounds.
Seth Trimble and Kyan Evans stepped it up in the second half, scoring a combined 25 points to help lead the charge. Trimble finished the night with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, while Evans drained two key three-pointers
Other than Darryn Peterson, the highly-touted freshman for Kansas who led the team with 22 points, the Jayhawks struggled to find offense around him. Bryson Tiller drained four three pointers in the first half but fouled out with 9:22 remaining in the game, a huge blow for the Jayhawks as they attempted to make a comeback in this one.
This is a monumental victory for Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels, especially after a season in which they struggled mightily against top-tier opponents. Friday night's victory proved one thing: the Tar Heels are here and are a forced to be reckoned with, as this group is led by arguably the best freshman the country has to offer.