Narratives For UNC That Need to Flip Against Ohio State

The North Carolina Tar Heels take on the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Both teams enter the matchup with questions surrounding specific areas in their performances over the last two weeks.

Speaking of which, North Carolina must view this game not only as a win-loss proposition but also as an opportunity to improve and address any struggles that have presented themselves during this stretch.

With that being said, here are a couple of narratives North Carolina must flip on Saturday.

The Tar Heels Can Be Overpowered

Dec 16, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) and ETSU Buccaneers guard Jaylen Smith (4) fight for the ball during the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

North Carolina struggled in the rebounding department against USC Upstate and East Tennessee State. Both teams were able to create second-chance opportunities on several offensive rebounds.

In both instances, the Tar Heels made sure to address those issues in the second half of each game, but it occurred in back-to-back games after head coach Hubert Davis emphasized the importance of rebounding.

While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, Davis expressed his frustrations and disappointment with his players.

Dec 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"Unacceptable. One of the things we want to be a great offensive rebounding team, and we want to be a great defensive rebounding team as well," Davis said. "And for them to have more offensive rebounds than us is not good, and for us to outrebound them only by three. And I talked about rebounding and how important it is for us to dominate points in the paint in regard to rebounding in that area, we did not, we did not play well."

"Well, I didn't know what the rebound differential was during the eight-minute timeout, but I knew that they got multiple offensive rebounds, and they were playing harder to get those offensive rebounds than us, and I felt like we were leaking out in transition," Davis said. "And so that's something that we'll talk about at practice tomorrow."

That message will be put to the test against Ohio State on Saturday. The Buckeyes enter Saturday with an 8-2 record and high hopes of knocking off North Carolina.

Kyan Evans Struggles from Beyond the Arc

Dec 16, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Kyan Evans (0) brings the ball up court during the second half against the ETSU Buccaneers at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

What made Evans' addition to the Tar Heels so compelling is how efficient he was from three-point range last season at Colorado State. The 6-foot-2, 174-pound guard shot 43.1 percent from beyond the arc in 2024. That has plummeted to 31.1 percent this season through the first 11 games.

The junior guard needs to step up in his shot-making ability, and if he does, North Carolina will be an even more dangerous team come March.

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