Jay Bilas Provides Thoughts on Dixon, North Carolina

The North Carolina Tar Heels have been through peaks and valleys this season, and are in the midst of a lull, losing two of its last three games. The Tar Heels latest loss occurred on Tuesday night against the North Carolina State Wolfpack, falling 82-58 on the road without Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson.

On Tuesday, before North Carolina's blowout loss, ESPN's College Basketball Analyst Jay Bilas compiled his personal rankings of top 68 teams in the sport. Bilas had the Tar Heels ranked 15th, which would most likely change after the result against North Carolina State.

Bilas' Thoughts

Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) prepares to pass to guard Seth Trimble (7) (not pictured) as Duke Blue Devils forward Maliq Brown (6) and guard Caleb Foster (1) and guard Isaiah Evans (3) converge on him in the final seconds of the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"Hubert Davis made Derek Dixon, the freshman, his starting point guard, and the Tar Heels reeled off five straight wins, including an all-time thriller over Duke," Bilas stated. "Dixon is unafraid and can shoot it, and he clearly can operate under pressure. The pass he threw to Seth Trimble for the winning shot was gutsy - and I still don't know how it got through the defense."

"Before his injury, Caleb Wilson was as productive and explosive as any player (let alone freshman) in the country, and Henri Veesaar has been a double-double machine," Bilas continued. "His performance in the second half against the Blue Devils was a major reason Carolina triumphed. Now, the key is sustaining that kind of effort for longer stretches of games."

Is This Assessment Accurate After Tuesday Night's Loss?

Feb 17, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) brings the ball around NC State Wolfpack forward Musa Sagnia (13) during the first half at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

There are two ways of looking at North Carolina's lopsided defeat to North Carolina State. On one side of the coin, the Tar Heels were short-handed without their star freshman and all-around center in the rotation. On the other side of the coin, North Carolina's role players illustrated how dependent they are on those two to open up the entire offense.

To be fair, missing two-fifths of your starting lineup, which simultaneously includes your two best players, would be difficult to overcome for any team, but the way in which the Tar Heels shot on Tuesday night was alarming. That is especially true when considering that Seth Trimble is a senior and should be able to fulfill his role as the leader on the court. However, that was not the case.

Feb 14, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) and center Henri Veesaar (13) on the bench in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard shot 1-of-9 from the field, including 0-of-3 from beyond the arc. It was reminiscent of his outing against Miami when he went 0-of-5 from the field, including 0-of-3 from beyond the arc.

North Carolina should get the benefit of the doubt for the time being, but another performance like this in the near future, and Wilson's status for March will be magnified.

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