After opening the 2025 calendar year with a loss to Louisville last week, North Carolina needed to find a way to pick up wins over the next two games. They did just that, beating Notre Dame in a late shootout on Saturday, then following up with a big win against SMU on Tuesday.
UNC dominated this game from the start in the Dean Dome, quickly taking a comfortable lead and never really looking back. They led the whole way, then by double digits in the second half, as SMU never really put up a fight.
With the win, UNC now moves to 3-1 in ACC play as they head to Raleigh to take on NC State on Saturday. Before we get to that, let’s get into our instant analysis of this game.
A quick start
It’s been a while since the North Carolina Tar Heels came out and played like they played Tuesday in the first half. UNC jumped all over SMU in this game, taking an early 18-10 lead and building on that.
They played wire to wire in this one, taking care of business against an opponent, as they should. And that was a very promising sign.
The Tar Heels need to play well to start games more often rather than falling behind (duh!) and that should lead to more success.
UNC held firm on boards
Before this game, SMU had the advantage in the post with size. We know UNC’s struggles in its frontcourt due to the lack of a dominant big man. They have had problems with teams that usually have the height advantage and it has been felt.
But in this game, the Tar Heels were not hampered by the Mustang’s height in the post.
They were out rebounded 41-39, but it was closer than it should have been.
UNC held SMU well below season average
Before this game, SMU was averaging 85 points per game. North Carolina turned up the defensive intensity, holding the Mustangs to 67 total points. SMU only had 24 points at halftime as the Tar Heels were really good at forcing tough shots and turnovers.
A late second-half surge boosted SMU’s point total, but the Tar Heels did a very good job defensively throughout the game.
Freshmen are good…
Ian Jackson’s 20+ game point streak ended tonight as he finished with 18 points, but he had a very good game. So did freshman Drake Powell.
The two combined for 35 points, with Powell adding 17. Both were also starters and certainly deserve their playing time.
UNC was much better from the three-point line
Another area where the Tar Heels improved for this game was the three-point line. The Tar Heels made 11 of 22 attempts from the three-point line, shooting 50 percent. This is a record for them this season.
This article was originally published on Tar Heels Wire: Instant analysis after UNC Basketball’s win over SMU
