Davis Updates UNC's Veesaar, Previews NC State

The North Carolina Tar Heels are coming off a 79-65 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday, which included both Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar missing the game.

While speaking with the media during his ACC coaches press conference on Monday, head coach Hubert Davis provided an update on Veesaar while highlighting North Carolina State's strengths ahead of Tuesday's matchup.

Davis on Veesaar

Feb 14, 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

“He’s getting a lot better, today was a huge jump in his improvement,” Davis said. “He had, you know, an injury in his lower extremities, and then also had the flu, and it was a major jump in both of those today. It’s still day-to-day, we’ll have to evaluate tomorrow if he’s available for NC State, but I was really encouraged by the improvement in both areas today.”

The 55-year-old head coach had to maintain an open mind heading into Saturday's tilt against Pittsburgh, as it unknown what Veesaar's status would be.

“We didn’t know if Henri was playing or not,” Hubert Davis said. “So, we were preparing for [Pittsburgh] with two different game plans and different rotations and all different types of stuff.”

No one really knew what was ailing the Arizona transfer ahead of this past weekend's contest. Davis revealed what exactly the center was dealing with.

Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) shoots as Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba (21) and Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) defend in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

“Both [(flu and lower-body] are getting better,” Davis said. “You know, he had the flu, and that’s just not for one day, and he is feeling a lot better from that.”

Davis then explained how Veesaar is slowly improving in practices and could be in line to play on Tuesday night against North Carolina State.

“And then the lower body extremity, it’s getting better every day, and it was an improvement from Saturday to yesterday’s practice," Davis said. "And my hope is that it’s an even bigger jump today, but he is getting better on both ends.”

Davis Previews Challenges Against North Carolina State

“One, they're really good defensively," Davis said. "They do a really good job of getting steals and deflections, disrupting you on the defensive end, not allowing you to feel, from an offensive standpoint, to consistently stay in rhythm."

“Obviously, from an offensive standpoint, I mean, they could really shoot the basketball," Davis continued. "I mean, just a number of guys that can get hot and stay hot from the perimeter.  But they also can get consistent points in a paint. Quadir (Copeland) has been awesome in regard to his playmaking skills. I think those are just a couple things that make them a good basketball team.”

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