Slow Start for Veesaar
Did Henri Veesaar go back to Tallinn for Christmas? I’d believe it if you told me the Estonian big man had just landed at RDU an hour before tip-off, I’d believe you. He was not ready to play when the Tar Heels tipped off against Florida State.
He finished the first half scoreless and was late on several defensive rotations that saw Seminoles attack the rim past him without his hands up. It was frustrating Hubert Davis enough that he was the first player subbed at the 17:26 mark in the first half, with Carolina still yet to score any points.
When the second half started, UNC ran a set play to get Veesaar going with an easy dunk alone under the basket. That seemed to get the juices flowing, as he went a perfect 6-for-6 from the field in the second half, scoring 12 points, and grabbing a total of 12 rebounds.
It’s important for Veesaar to maintain a steady level of production to complement Caleb Wilson. While it’s perfectly reasonable for Wilson to score 30+ in any given game, it’s not sustainable, and he’ll likely get more defensive attention if Veesaar is either a non-factor or on the bench.
Veesaar’s contributions were late, but vital.