Assessing North Carolina's Starting Lineup Against Florida State

It was an undefeated month of December for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who capped it off with a 79-66 win over the Florida State Seminoles on Tuesday night at the Dean E. Smith Center.

In addition, North Carolina won its seventh consecutive game, improving its record to 13-1 while opening conference play with a clear message to the rest of the ACC: The Tar Heels will be a force to reckon with this season.

The starting lineup was utterly dominant in this contest, and here is how the unit graded out against Florida State.

Caleb Wilson

Stat line: 22 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks

Wilson was, by far, the best player on the court on Tuesday night, putting on the cape as soon as it was necessary. North Carolina was out of sorts out of the gates, but the star freshman settled the ship, recording nine points and five rebounds by the 10-minute mark in the first half.

The former-five-star recruit totaled at least 20 points for the sixth consecutive game and was the 10th time this season Wilson had achieved that feat. Wilson produced this impressive stat line while shooting 9-of-15 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line.

Grade: A+

Seth Trimble

Stat line: 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals

Once again, Trimble effortlessly dominated an opposing team, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and 8-of-11 from the free throw line. The senior guard can score at all three levels, which make it an unnerving task for opposing teams to slow him down.

The guard-forward tandem of Trimble and Wilson is proving to be a perfect combination for the Tar Heels' offense. It has only been three games, but that duo has unlocked North Carolina's potential.

Grade: A

Kyan Evans

Stat line: 15 points and 1 rebound

When Evans arrives to the arena with an aggressive mindset, he shows why the Tar Heels went out in the transfer portal and seeked his services.

The Colorado State transfer went 5-of-15 from the field, including 5-of-12 from three-point range, which was an improvement from his previous outing.

Some of the shots from the perimeter were well off mark, but the change in confidence is what the Tar Heels need from Evans moving forward.

Grade: B+

Henri Veesaar

Stat line: 12 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and one steal

Dec 30, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Robert McCray V (6) with the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jarin Stevenson (15) and center Henri Veesaar (13) defend in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Considering how uninvolved Veesaar was in the first half - zero points, five rebounds, and three assists - this stat line is impressive. However, the Arizona transfer was a non-factor in the first 20 minutes of the game, taking a backseat to Wilson, Trimble, and Evans, who all had nine or more points in that timeframe.

Nonetheless, Veesaar's final box score includes shooting 6-of-7 from the field, which marks the third time this season the 6-foot-11, 224-pound center has missed only one shot when attempting at least five shots.

Grade: A-

Luka Bogavac

Stat line: 1 rebound

After breaking out with 15 points against East Carolina, Bogavac went 0-of-5 from the field, including 0-of-2 from three-point range.

Because the Tar Heels possess several players who can make an impact off the bench, Hubert Davis and the coaching staff don't have to be patient with a player. Bogavac's struggles limited him to 13 minutes on the court.

Grade: F

UNC — Dean Smith Center | Grant Chachere, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

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