Analyzing 2 Aspects of Veesaar’s Performances in Opening ACC Games

Splitting the first two games in conference play was not ideal for the North Carolina Tar Heels, especially when neither of those contests came against Duke or Louisville. Nevertheless, the Tar Heels are entering Saturday with a bad taste in their mouth after losing to the SMU Mustangs 97-83 this past weekend.

While every player and coach will look to improve as conference play continues, one player that needs to produce a complete outing is Henri Veesaar. Here is a look at Veesaar's performance through the first two games of conference play.

Evaluating Veesaar

Dec 30, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) scores as Florida State Seminoles forward Alier Maluk (12) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

During this small sample size, the Arizona transfer is averaging 13 points, nine rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 55.5 percent from the field, including 50 percent from three-point range. While those statistics indicate that Veesaar has been producing, they are a bit misleading, as he has been marginalized in the first half in both games.

Against Florida State, the junior center recorded one shot attempt in the opening 20 minutes. Veesaar would recover, making all six of his shots in the second half for 12 points. However, Veesaar's start to that game was underwhelming. In the following game against SMU, Veesaar replicated the same type of first-half performance, totaling five points and four rebounds while shooting 2-of-7 from the field.

While speaking with the media during their postgame press conferences after the win against Florida State, both head coach Hubert Davis and Veesaar discussed what transpired in the first half, and how it was addressed following halftime.

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) passes the ball by SMU Mustangs center Jaden Toombs (10) during the first half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"Their pressure and intensity on the defensive end were more than our will and want to on the offensive end, and so we were struggling getting any type of rhythm offensively," Davis said. "And then, you know, Caleb [Wilson] making those plays. I thought also another big play was the first play out of the second half, because going into halftime Henri only had one shot, had zero points, and I felt like that one got him going and into the game. So I thought those were a huge couple plays that really were good for us in the second half."

"I mean, I feel like Coach [Hubert] Davis definitely emphasized, during halftime, I've got to be involved," Veesaar said. "In the first half he said I wasn't being aggressive enough, and I only had one shot. I was playing a little bit flat. And then [in the] second half, he kind of got me started with that. So that helped a lot."

Veesaar has not been awful, but his influence on the game has to be apparent from the get-go if the Tar Heels want to consistently win in big spots.

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