Derek Dixon hits a big-time layup to give the UNC win at Kentucky, 67-64

It wasn’t pretty by any means, but UNC got its act together late and made just enough plays to get a win at Rupp Arena for the first time since 2007. Derek Dixon hit a stepback three-pointer and a layup in the final minutes to give UNC the final advantage in a back-and-forth bout, surviving another low-percentage night from beyond the arc and a frustrating offensive game for Caleb Wilson.

The Heels started the game cold, hitting just two of their first 10 shots and falling behind 10-4. That would end up being the biggest lead either team held the entire game, but it didn’t last long. Partially due to a couple of made shots by UNC’s substitute guards (a layup and free throws from Dixon, a three by Jonathan Powell), the Heels caught up to turn the game into the one-possession-or-less affair that it was for basically the entire game. Caleb Wilson was again frustrated by a physical frontcourt, hitting just 3/12 of his field goals in the first half. Neither team generally was able to generate their usual forms of offense, with Kentucky not hitting a three in the first half despite being one of the country’s leaders in three-point attempts and makes, and that led to a fairly ugly, low-scoring first half that ended up tied, 31-31.

Kentucky was the hotter team out of the break, stretching their lead out to as much as 6 again early before settling into a four-point lead with about 13 minutes left. Then… things got weird. Kentucky didn’t make a field goal for over 10 minutes, but they also didn’t lose that cushion thanks to a combination of free throws and a 6-minute field goal drought on UNC’s end. You could say either that Kentucky gave up an opportunity to pull away or that UNC gave up an opportunity to take the lead back, and probably be right either way, but some credit has to go to defenses on both ends for making the other team take tough shots.

When clutch time came in the last 5 minutes, Caleb Wilson showed up first. He got fouled on a dunk attempt (depending on how his first field goal gets scored, I believe this will be his first game of the season with 0 dunks) and made both free throws, then hit a layup, then hit Zayden High in stride for a transition layup that tied the game at 56. That seemed to wake both teams up, as they traded field goals: A Henri Veesaar dunk gave UNC a lead, Otega Oweh drove to take it back. Luka Bogavac hit a three, then missed a one-and-one free throw that could have extended the lead and compounded his mistake by committing a foul that gave the Wildcats the lead back with a minute and a half to go. A discombobulated offensive possession followed, ending with Derek Dixon throwing up a wild end-of-shot-clock three, but UNC got the offensive rebound and was able to regroup. Dixon then took the clutch mantle over. He called his own number on the ATO, hitting a sweet stepback three-pointer to give his team a two-point lead. After Kentucky’s Collin Chandler converted on another drive to the basket, Dixon took advantage of nobody stopping the ball and drove down the left side of the lane, evoking Marcus Paige against NC State (twice), putting his team up two again with 12 seconds to go. The Heels gave up another drive to Chandler, but this time, Wilson affected it just enough to force a miss, grabbed the rebound, and got fouled with 2 seconds to go. He split the free throws to ensure UNC couldn’t lose in regulation, but Kentucky’s inbounds wasn’t even competitive, and the Heels took the win.

Kentucky got nearly all their offense in the paint and at the line, scoring just 5 points on field goals outside the paint. That’s going to be a sticking point for Hubert Davis going forward, as his guards just gave up too much of the middle of the floor to the Kentucky backcourt. But UNC countered with a 41-30 advantage on the boards, including 20 offensive rebounds and 22 points off them — in that way, it was a bit of an old-school Carolina win. Henri Veesaar had a fabulous game, with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Dixon’s 9 points in a season-high 24 minutes tied an early career high.

UNC will return to the Dean Smith Center on Sunday to play Georgetown, beginning a three-game homestand.