Grading North Carolina’s Bench in Tuesday Night’s Win

This potential issue was exposed against the Michigan State Spartans on Thanksgiving Day. In that game, the Tar Heels' bench produced five points across 27 minutes, split by two players. That is simply not good enough, especially against a top-ranked opponent.

For a team, such as North Carolina, it can overcome a deficiency against a lower level of competition. However, against top-tier opponents, that weakness will be exposed more often than not.

That being said, the Tar Heels' production off the bench against the Kentucky Wildcats was more than serviceable. North Carolina had three contributors come off the bench against Kentucky on Tuesday night.

Those players combined for 17 points, six rebounds, and two assists. The Tar Heels would need every one of those points, as they struggled to generate consistent offense for the entire second half.

Here is a closer look at how each individual player performed against the Wildcats and Rupp Arena on Tuesday night.

Derek Dixon

Stat line: 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists

The box score does not accurately depict how instrumental Dixon was for the Tar Heels. With no Seth Trimble in the lineup and Kyan Evans being a no-show on Tuesday night, North Carolina needed something from a point guard.

Dixon was solid in the first half, but he really showed up big in the final seconds of the game. The freshman guard hit a go-ahead three-point shot with 54 seconds remaining in the game. Kentucky would respond with a made basket, tying the game 64-64 with 36 seconds on the clock. Dixon threw one more haymaker, which turned out to be the game-winning layup.

It was a monumental moment for a young player, and potentially a turning point for North Carolina's season. If the Tar Heels get that type of output and impact going forward, they could sneakily have one of the deepest rosters with Trimble's return on the horizon.

Grade: B+

Jonathan Powell

Stat line: 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal

Powell's production came solely in the first half, but he connected on two three-point attempts, which kept the Tar Heels on par with Kentucky heading into halftime.

Grade: B

Zayden High

Stat line: 2 points and 1 rebound

Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) attempts to grab the rebound against North Carolina Tar Heels forwards Jarin Stevenson (15) and Zayden High (1) during the first half at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

High is still trying to figure out his role on this team, but it was good experience for the forward in a big game.

In four minutes, he totaled two points and one rebound.

Grade: N/A

Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis watches the action across the court during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

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