North Carolina’s Key Strengths Shining in Win Over Kentucky

It was a mixed-bag performance by the North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday night against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena. Nevertheless, the Tar Heels would end up leaving Rupp Arena with a 67-64 victory, improving their record to 7-1 on the season.

While watching the game, it was apparent what North Carolina's strengths are, as they dominated in a couple of key areas that turned out to be the difference makers in the game.

Here is a look at the Tar Heels' strengths that were highlighted during their win over Kentucky on Tuesday night.

The Ability to Control the Boards

Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jarin Stevenson (15) dunks the ball 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

North Carolina's height was a major issue that the Wildcats could not combat throughout the course of the game. The Tar Heels outrebounded Kentucky 37-27. That included 20 offensive rebounds, which led to 22 second-chance points.

While speaking to the media during his postgame press conference, head coach Hubert Davis was ecstatic to speak on this topic.

Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis calls out a play 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'm so glad I can hammer this," Davis said. "One of the things I always tell them is that I'm not a big stats guy, but I will use them to confirm what I already know—and I keep telling them: this is who we are. We have got to get to the offensive glass. We have to get second-chance opportunities."

"I always say rebounding is the most important factor in the outcome of a game," Davis said. "We got 20 offensive rebounds and outrebounded them by nine. To me, that was the ball game."

Overwhelming Opponents on Defense

Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) drives to the basket against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Luka Bogavac (44) and center Henri Veesaar (13) during the second half at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Defensively, North Carolina stifled Kentucky's offense, limiting it to shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 7.7 percent from beyond the arc. Davis thought his defense remained disciplined throughout the game, which led to consistent success against Kentucky's offense.

"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."

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

"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."

It was the Wildcats' worst offensive performance of the season, as they were averaging 89.9 points per game heading into Tuesday night's contest.

Please follow us on X when you click right HERE!

Please make sure you follow us today on our Facebook page when you click right HERE!