Looking for their 10th victory of the season, the UNC basketball program is set to host East Tennessee State on Tuesday night in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
We're nearing the end of non-conference play for the Tar Heels, who only face three non-ACC opponents the rest of the way. With a battle against Ohio State scheduled for this weekend in the CBS Sports Classic, the UNC basketball program has two non-conference opportunities at home to figure out some kinks before ACC play gets underway on December 30.
Before we reach that point, the Tar Heels aim to handle the Buccaneers on Tuesday night, taking it one game at a time.
2025-2026 Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall record: 9-1
Conference Record: 0-0
Home Record: 7-0
Away Record: 1-0
Neutral Site Record: 1-1
Top-25 Wins: 2
East Tennessee State Buccaneers
Overall record: 8-3
Conference Record: 0-0
Home Record: 7-0
Away Record: 1-3
Neutral Site Record: 0-0
History
There's only one prior meeting between the two teams, one in which the UNC basketball program secured a 77-58 victory on December 8, 2012.
Leslie McDonald led the Tar Heels with 14 points, while Brice Johnson came off the bench to score 12 points over 15 minutes of action. Reggie Bullock was the lone other Tar Heel in double-figures, contributing 10 points over his 18 minutes of work.
Key Players
North Carolina
Caleb Wilson (Fr. Forward)- 19.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Henri Veesaar (Jr. Center)- 16.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Luka Bogavac (Jr. Guard)- 12.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists
East Tennessee State
Cam Morris III (Sr. Forward)- 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Brian Taylor II (Sr. Guard)- 13.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists
Blake Barkley (So. Forward)- 12.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
Feed the Beasts!
As is the case against most opponents, the UNC basketball program features a major size advantage over East Tennessee State.
In fact, the Buccaneers' do not have a single player over 6-foot-8 on its roster, as North Carolina features three starters who are 6-foot-10 and above.
This one should be a simple concept for UNC to follow: feed Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson early and often!
The goal should be to pound the ball inside, forcing East Tennessee to have to either double-team in the post or let the dynamic duo of the Tar Heels do what they do best. If they elect to focus more on the post, the shooters will be open, as this would be a great game for the Tar Heels to not only dominate down low, but also put together a strong shooting performance from beyond-the-arc.
Something to Watch For
Luka Bogavac has been getting into a groove offensively, as his increased playing time has seemed to make a positive impact on his success shooting the basketball.
Dating back to November 11, Bogavac has scored in double-figures in each of the eight games the Tar Heels have played (a stretch that the Tar Heels have won seven of those contents). In that span, Bogavac has played at least 25 minutes per game, as his play time increased following Seth Trimble's injury.
When Trimble returns, which is likely sooner rather than later, it will be interesting to see how that affects Bogavac's playing time. If the international transfer keeps shooting the basketball effeciently, it will be difficult for Hubert Davis to not keep him on the court as much as possible.
Projected Starters
No. 0- Kyan Evans
No. 44- Luka Bogavac
No. 8- Caleb Wilson
No. 15- Jarin Stevenson
No. 13- Henri Veesaar