North Carolina's Defensive Review in December

Defense and rebounding have been the North Carolina Tar Heels' identity through the first two months of the season, and it was firmly established this month.

North Carolina still has one game remaining in December, which is the ACC opener against the Florida State Seminoles on Dec. 30 at the Dean E. Smith Center. In the six games the Tar Heels have played this month, they have not allowed more than 70 points in any game. That has been a monumental reason for going unbeaten during that stretch.

Dec 20, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Devin Royal (21) shoots against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The roster embodies the head coach's mindset and messaging, which has become evident during North Carolina's six-game winning streak.

Let's analyze and evaluate the Tar Heels' defensive performance through the month of December.

Assessing the Tar Heels' Defense in December

Dec 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) and forward Jarin Stevenson (15) block the shot of Georgetown Hoyas forward Jayden Fort (0) in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

North Carolina has been strong defensively this month, but the most impressive performance came on the road against the Kentucky Wildcats. Entering that contest, the Wildcats were averaging more than 88 points per game. The Tar Heels held Kentucky to 64 points while limiting the Wildcats to a 43.4 field goal percentage and a 7.7 three-point percentage - both were Kentucky's lowest marks of the season.

While speaking with the media following North Carolina's 67-64 win over Kentucky, head coach Hubert Davis highlighted the defensive lockdown.

Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis yells to his players during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

"I thought defensively we weren't making mistakes," Davis said. "Kentucky is an unbelievable team, but especially in the first half, they were scoring off our mistakes. I felt like we were sound and simple on the defensive end. We were standing between them and the basket, we were giving them one contested look and then boxing out and rebounding."

"But the way we play defense—switching on and off the ball, and our size and length—I thought was a factor," Davis said. "When you have Jarin [Stevenson] at 6-10 at the three, Caleb [Wilson] at 6-11, Henri [Veesaar] at 7-feet, and positional size at guards with Luka [Bogavac] at 6-6, 6-7 and Derek [Dixon] at 6 -5, against a jump shooting team, size really matters. I thought we did a good job contesting those shots."

Dec 20, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jarin Stevenson (15) celebrates after a victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In December, six games - the Tar Heels are allowing 61 points per game, which also included stifling the Ohio State Buckeyes to 70 points. Prior to that game, Ohio State had scored at least 82 points in three straight games. Additionally, North Carolina held Bruce Thornton to 16 points while shooting 7-of-16 from the field, including 0-of-4 from three-point range. The senior guard entered the contest averaging 21.1 points per game.

Defense will continue to be the driving force for the Tar Heels' longevity and success this season, with Veesaar and Wilson anchoring the frontcourt.

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