Instant Analysis: UNC Pulls Away From Rams, Tunes Up in Final Exhibition

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — It took some time to work through the kinks, but North Carolina eventually poured it on and pulled away during Wednesday night’s final tune-up of the preseason.

The Tar Heels trampled Division II program Winston-Salem State 95-53 in this exhibition game at the Smith Center, inside of a week to the start of the new college basketball season.

Caleb Wilson delivered 23 points and 10 rebounds, leading four players in double-digit scoring for UNC, which is ranked No. 25 in the AP Preseason Top 25. The Tar Heels open the 2025-26 regular season in five nights, with their Nov. 3 assignment against Central Arkansas.

Jarin Stevenson (11 points), Seth Trimble (10 points) and Henri Veesaar (10 points) also scored in double figures here for Carolina. The Tar Heels were up just 39-30 early in the second half, before kicking things into a higher gear. Stevenson drilled back-to-back 3-pointers — the first on around-the-horn passing, and then the second one while stepping into a transition feed from Kyan Evans — as UNC unloaded a 21-2 run.

Later, Jaydon Young buried three straight 3s to push UNC ahead 73-41. The Tar Heels finished 12-for-32 from 3-point range, after shooting 9-for-20 beyond the arc during the second half.

Lance Gill’s 14 points and Tyre Boykin’s 11 points topped the visiting Rams, who went 5-22 last season, and have been picked to finish in last place in the historic CIAA this season.

Up-and-Down First Half for Tar Heels

UNC led 39-26 by halftime, after Boykin sank a jumper for the Rams in the final seconds before the first-half horn. That capped an up-and-down opening from the Tar Heels, whose defensive intensity showed up early on and hounded Winston-Salem State.

The Division II Rams started just 1-for-11 from the field, while missing their first seven shots of the night, as Carolina quickly built early leads of 10-0, 15-2 and 18-5 out of the gate. Three of WSSU’s first four shots from the field were air balls that didn’t hit anything.

But the Tar Heels eased off the accelerator, as some uninspired segments set in. The Rams trimmed their first-half deficit as close as 24-19. Later, UNC went ahead 39-24 on the strength of an 8-0 run, capped by Jonathan Powell’s steal off full-court pressure and Wilson’s spinning lay-in.

Wilson pumped in 17 points and grabbed six rebounds during the first half. He was the only player in double-digit scoring by halftime for the Tar Heels, who shot 43.8 percent from the field in the first half, including just 3-for-12 from 3-point range.

Next on the Schedule

Carolina turns the corner into the regular season next week, and embarks on coach Hubert Davis’ fifth year in charge of the program. The new 2025-26 campaign gets underway on Nov. 3, a Monday night opener against Central Arkansas here at the Smith Center. It’ll be the first-ever meeting between UNC and Central Arkansas in men’s basketball. The Bears compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Then, four nights later, a blue-blooded showdown arrives when UNC squares off against No. 19 Kansas and freshman sensation Darryn Peterson. The Tar Heels open the regular-season schedule with five straight games at home (visits from Central Arkansas, Kansas, Radford, NC Central and Navy).