Tar Heels Rally By Ohio State, 71-70

Saturday, December 20

Atlanta, Ga.

3 p.m.

North Carolina

11-1,0-0ACC

Ohio State

8-3,1-1Big Ten

North Carolina

Ohio St.

Seth Trimble

Photo by: Maggie Hobson

December 20, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (.pdf)Lucas: Rapid Reactions Postgame Notes Media Central

By: Matt Bowers

ATLANTA — Seth Trimble hit three second-half three-pointers as No. 12 North Carolina rallied past Ohio State, 71-70, on Saturday afternoon in the CBS Sports Classic in State Farm Arena. In his first appearance after missing nine games with a broken bone in his left forearm, Trimble scored 17 points and added three assists and two rebounds.

Freshman Caleb Wilson, playing his first college game in his hometown of Atlanta, scored 16 second-half points and led all scorers with 20 overall while also grabbing a season-high 15 rebounds for his eighth double-double in his first 12 Tar Heel games. Wilson's blocked shot with one second left in the second half clinched the win for Carolina.

Henri Veesaar hit 7 of 12 shots and posted his sixth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds, adding a career-high five assists. He was in the right place at the right time with seven seconds to play in the second half, picking up a loose ball after Trimble tripped during a drive to the basket and dunking to give Carolina a 71-70 lead.

"In that situation, Seth's ability to be able to create a shot for himself and for others is the best on the team from the perimeter," Tar Heel head coach Hubert Davis said. "Putting the ball in his hands, he kind of cleared out that side. They did a good job defensively but he was able to find Henri around the basket and be able to score."

When the Buckeyes tried to respond in the final seconds, John Mobley Jr. missed a three-pointer and Wilson blocked Devin Royal's follow attempt as time expired.

"We'll win the game," Trimble responded when CBS' Jenny Dell asked him about what Carolina discussed in the game's final timeout. "We get defensive stops all the time. It's just one stop, we'll get that stop."

Royal led Ohio State with 18 points, adding eight rebounds. Christoph Tilly had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, Bruce Thornton scored 16 and Mobley added 13.

With Trimble back in the lineup, Jarin Stevenson came off the bench for the first time this season but came up big with six points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Carolina won its fifth game in a row and improved to 11-1 in 2025-26. The Tar Heels are 11-1 for the first time since going 11-1, 12-0 and 12-0 to start the 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons.

Wilson and Veesaar both had double-doubles in the same game for the fifth time, tying the eighth-most in a season by a pair of Tar Heels after only 12 games this season.

"I feel great, it was definitely a huge win," said Wilson. "Of course we all like blowouts, but having a fun, close game like that is definitely fun, especially for the crowd. I'm just glad we got the win and I'm glad we got Seth back. I feel like we're a much better team."

Neither team excelled offensively in the first half, but Carolina used a late 7-0 burst to lead, 34-31, at intermission. The Buckeyes shot just 33.3 percent in the first half. UNC's defense has held opponents under 40 percent shooting in 14 of 24 halves this season, a key to the team's hot start.

UNC led by 11 at 58-47 with 10:38 to play, but the persistent Buckeyes chipped away at the lead until they led, 70-67, with 48 seconds remaining. A layup by Trimble and Veesaar's dunk in the final 34 seconds gave the win to the Tar Heels.

How It Happened
First Half
• Both teams struggled offensively in the first half. Carolina rallied late and shot 43.3 percent from the floor while The Buckeyes hit just 33.3 percent of their attempts.
• From three-point range, UNC was 4 for 15 while OSU was 3 for 14.
• Carolina went on a 7-0 run in 1:52 and took a 27-19 lead in the final four minutes, forcing OSU to miss 7 of 8 shots and holding the Buckeyes scoreless for a span of 2:35.
• UNC had 10 assists on 13 first-half baskets.
• Veesaar led all scorers with nine first-half points, adding six rebounds.
• Wilson had only four points but grabbed a game-high seven boards in the opening 20 minutes.

Second Half
• Carolina built its biggest lead to that point at 56-45 with 11:14 remaining after a three-pointer by Veesaar and a layup by Stevenson.
• The trio of Trimble, Wilson and Veesaar led the way for UNC in the second half. Trimble hit all three of his three-pointers after intermission, and Wilson scored 16 of his 20 points after the break.
• Veesaar was steady in both halves, as usual, totaling 17 points and 10 rebounds and dishing to Wilson for alley-oop dunks on multiple occasions.
• Ohio State's John Mobley Jr. hit a three-pointer with 48 seconds remaining and was fouled by Wilson. Mobley hit the ensuing free throw for a four-point play and a 70-67 OSU lead.
• Trimble replied with a driving layup with 34 seconds left to make it 70-69 Buckeyes.
• Stevenson stole the ball at the end of a frantic Ohio State possession, and Carolina called timeout with 18 seconds left.
• After Trimble stumbled and lost possession while driving down the lane, Veesaar grabbed the loose ball for an easy dunk and a 71-70 UNC lead. Ohio State called timeout with 4.4 seconds to go.
• Wilson blocked a shot in the final second after a Buckeye offensive rebound to clinch the UNC win.

Notes
• Carolina is 8-4 all-time in the CBS Sports Classic, including 4-0 versus OSU in the event.
• The Tar Heels are 14-3 against Ohio State and have won nine of the last 10 meetings.

Up Next
Carolina will return to action on Monday night in the Smith Center against ECU at 8 p.m. on ACC Network.