North Carolina's 3 Top Performances in Loss to SMU

Saturday's loss to the SMU Mustangs snapped the North Carolina Tar Heels' seven-game win streak, and was the first time they suffered a loss in over a month.

SMU would pull away in the second half, hitting a plethora of three pointers that proved too much for the Tar Heels to overcome. It was a tie game early in the second half, but when a team shoots 14-of-27 from beyond the arc and 60 percent from the field, it is virtually impossible to keep up.

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) shakes hands with North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis after the Mustangs defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Mustangs would eventually win 97-83, but it was not because of North Carolina's defense playing poorly. This game simply came down to SMU's shot-making ability, and there was not much the Tar Heels could have done differently to change that.

It was not all negative for North Carolina, as it had several players perform at a high level in the loss. Let's take a look at who held the end of their bargain against the Mustangs.

Seth Trimble

Stat line: 22 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds

This game came down to guard play, and Trimble, for the most part, matched SMU's guard production. The senior guard shot 8-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-7 from three-point range.

For the first time all season, Trimble was North Carolina's leading scorer, which shows how much the Mustangs' backcourt took the Tar Heels out of its normal operation. North Carolina was not able to fully establish its dominance in the frontcourt, as SMU's constant on-ball pressure was suffocating.

Trimble was poor from the free throw line, knocking down 3-of-7 attempts, but overall, he was was one of the Tar Heels' best players on Saturday.

Caleb Wilson

Stat line: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals

North Carolina's winning streak was not the only run that was snapped on Saturday afternoon. Wilson's six-game streak of scoring at least 20 points also expired in the Tar Heels' loss. Although the freshman forward did not score his usual 20 points, Wilson was still efficient from the field, and found multiple ways to impact the game.

His three turnovers were the most on the team, but this will be a learning experience for the former five-star recruit, and there are no reasons to worry about Wilson moving forward.

Jarin Stevenson

Stat line: 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) drives to the basket past North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) during the second half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

This was easily Stevenson's best outing of the season, as the Alabama transfer shot 5-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Stevenson was the team's second-leading scorer in the first half (9 points), only behind Wilson (11 points).

The 6-foot-9, 216-pound forward was pivotal in North Carolina keeping pace with SMU in the first 20 minutes of the game.

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