The North Carolina Tar Heels got their first reality check of the 2025-26 NCAA season. The No. 16 UNC played its seventh game of the season against the No. 11 Michigan State Spartans, but a hard-fought matchup exposed cracks in execution and consistency, forcing head coach Hubert Davis to deliver a blunt message to his team.

“One of the things that we’ve talked about is when we get to that level that we’re playing at on both ends of the floor to be able to sustain it, and, in order to win games like that, you have to do that for long periods of time. You don’t have to be perfect, but have longer periods of time. And so just the little discipline and details. They got 46 points in the paint defending without fouling, even though I think they only went to the free-throw line maybe six or seven times,” Davis said.

“Loose balls, offensive rebounds, they got 12. And then on the offensive end, just being able to execute. I feel like we had some open shots from the perimeter and we didn’t shoot the ball very well, but after the game, I told the guys, ‘This is an opportunity for us to learn and to grow, and that’s what we’ll do,’” he added.

During the first half of the game, the Tar Heels looked like a team that was out to get it all, opening with an 8–0 run, that gave them a seven-point advantage. But the tide quickly turned.

Freshman Caleb Wilson led UNC with 18 points and seven rebounds, but he had to work for everything. He started hot, scoring eight points in the opening five and a half minutes, yet managed only 10 more the rest of the night and went almost 20 minutes without a basket.

Center Henri Veesaar added 13 points and six rebounds, but early fouls changed the rhythm of the game. When he picked up his second foul and was forced to sit, Michigan State immediately attacked the paint, putting together a 13–0 run and then closing the half on an 18–6 surge to go up 33–28.

UNC’s shooting also never settled in. Their perimeter players, normally reliable, struggled badly.

Point guard Kyan Evans didn’t score until nearly seven minutes into the second half and missed all five of his three-point tries. Luka Bogavac scored 11 but was 1-for-6 from deep. No one on the team hit more than one three-pointer, and the Tar Heels finished a dismal 17% from long range.

It marked UNC’s weakest outside shooting performance since they made only three threes in their 2024 ACC Tournament loss to Duke. They opened the second half with a made three, but never hit another, missing their last 10 attempts. Meanwhile, the Spartans shot 52% overall and 50% from three.

Rebounding was another area of concern. Second-chance opportunities piled up for the Spartans, continuing a trend that has troubled UNC early this season. The Tar Heels have now allowed double-digit offensive rebounds in six of their first seven games, including a season-high 13 against Navy.

Against Michigan State, they surrendered 12 offensive boards and the same number of second-chance points, tying the most they have given up this year. The paint didn’t offer any relief either, as the Heel were outscored 46-34.

“Forty-six points in the paint, that just can’t happen. We talked about, going into the game, we were fifth in the country in field-goal percentage defense and they shot 51% for the game. In games like that, we just gotta be better defensively,” Davis said.

Throughout the game, the team’s senior guard, Seth Trimble’s absence could be felt as his leadership and scoring presence would have helped steady the team in moments like this, but the star player has been ruled out of the season indefinitely after suffering a broken bone in his left forearm during a team workout on November 9th.

However, head coach Hubert Davis has made it clear that they will be using this opportunity to learn and come back better, and with a tough road ahead, they should learn quickly or risk costing them another season.

What’s next for the Hubert Davis-led Tar Heels?

In the ongoing season, the Tar Heels have played seven matches; however, their game against the Spartans marked their first loss. This was also their second matchup against a Top-25 team, where the first came against the Kansas Jayhawks, which they won 87-74. So, for now, there’s nothing to worry about, as the team plans to learn from its mistakes.

The Tar Heels are currently being led by Caleb Wilson, the star freshman, who averages 20.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game (highest on the roster). While Coach Davis is building his game plans around him, the team can’t rely on one player to carry every matchup.

For their upcoming games, the Tar Heels will face:

• No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats on December 2nd
• Georgetown Hoyas on December 7th
• South Carolina Upstate Spartans on December 13th

As the season moves forward, fans will be keeping a close eye on UNC to see how the team addresses its shortcomings and bounces back.