UNC's Davis Shines Light on Wilson, Dixon in Win Over Duke

The North Carolina Tar Heels have several notable wins this season, but there has not been a more impressive victory than the one over the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday night. It was North Carolina's largest comeback win over Duke in 25 years, as the Tar Heels overcame a 13-point deficit in the 71-68 win, which was capped off by Seth Trimble's game-winning three-point shot at the buzzer.

While there was no one more deserving of that moment than the senior guard, the impact made by freshmen Caleb Wilson and Derek Dixon cannot go unnoticed. While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, head coach Hubert Davis highlighted both players.

Davis' Thoughts

Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis reacts in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

“Obviously, being at this level, being at North Carolina, and playing in these types of games, the light is bright and there’s nowhere to hide," Davis said. "Caleb [Wilson] and Derek [Dixon], they don’t run from it. They run towards it.”

Dixon was a pivotal piece on the final play of the game, as the freshman guard orchestrated the entire play by driving and forcing multiple defenders to crash the paint, leaving Trimble wide open in the corner.

“No, there were a number of options… wanted to get something to the basket, Derek was able to do that," Davis said. "We love putting Caleb in ball screens and rim running and rolling towards the basket. It’s a nice luxury to have a big like Henri [Veesaar] that can pop in those situations. And we work on this, one of the options is, if the defender comes in, it’s skipped to the opposite corner. And Derek’s pass was amazing. He looked, checked down all options, and the one option that was open, his defender came over and helped. We skipped it to the corner, and we work on that every day.”

Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) shoots as Duke Blue Devils forward Maliq Brown (6) and guard Cayden Boozer (2) defend in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Wilson's performance was staggering, considering his age and the magnitude of this game. North Carolina trailed 18-5 early, and the freshman forward took over the game, scoring 11 of the Tar Heels' next 14 points. Wilson scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half, shooting 5-of-7 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. North Carolina's next highest scorer during that stretch was Trimble, who had six points. In addition, Wilson played all 40 minutes, which was required to win this game.

“He basically put us on his back in the first half. I felt like, for whatever reason, I just felt like we were a little tight or a little too amped up," Davis said. "And as a result of that, I felt like we were making mistakes on both ends of the floor. He’s the one that kept us close. And his confidence, his ability...he doesn’t talk about ‘me’. He never talks about ‘me.’ He’s always talking about ‘we’ and he’s always talking about ‘the’, which is the University of North Carolina men’s basketball.”

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