2 Surprises in North Carolina's Win Over Florida State

After beating the Florida State Seminoles 79-66 on Tuesday night, the North Carolina Tar Heels improved to 13-1 on the season, while winning their conference opener.

It was an overall good night for Hubert Davis and his team, as the Tar Heels demonstrated how well they can play for stretches. However, there were times North Carolina struggled to operate cohesively on the offensive end of the court, which opened up the door for the Seminoles late in the second half.

However, the Tar Heels' defense shut the door on any potential Florida State comeback and coasted to victory at the Dean E. Smith Center.

Dec 30, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Luka Bogavac (44) with the ball as Florida State Seminoles forward Alex Steen (25) and guard Lajae Jones (10) defend in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

While the result of the game was not out of the ordinary, there were a couple of developments that were unusual, specifically from North Carolina's perspective.

With all that being said, let's take a look at what was abnormal in the Tar Heels' 13-point victory on Tuesday night against Florida State.

Henri Veesaar's Quiet First Half

Dec 30, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Robert McCray V (6) with the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jarin Stevenson (15) and center Henri Veesaar (13) defend in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

For weeks, the Arizona transfer has been one of, if not the most consistent player on North Carolina's roster. Over the last three games, prior to Tuesday, Veesaar had averaged 19.6 points while missing nine total shot attempts during that span.

On Tuesday, the 6-foot-11, 224-pound center recorded zero points and five rebounds in the first half while attempting one shot. It was an uncharacteristic first half for Veesaar. It is not that he played poorly, but he was uninvolved for the entirety of the opening 20 minutes, never really commanding paint touches and imposing his strength in the post game.

Some of that may have been a product of the offense running through Caleb Wilson and Seth Trimble in the first half. Nonetheless, it was shocking to see Veesaar fail to record a single point in that timeframe. Do not expect that to become a trend moving forward, as Veesaar finished the game with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Kyan Evans' Aggressiveness

Dec 30, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Kyan Evans (0) and forward Jonathan Powell (11) react in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

This is a pleasant surprise, as the Colorado State transfer had been underwhelming and disappointing for the better part of a month. In the seven previous games, prior to Tuesday night's matchup against Florida State, Evans averaged 3.4 points per game during that span.

Evans looked like a completely different player against the Seminoles, attempting 15 shots, including 12 from three-point range. The 6-foot-2, 174-pound guard would score 15 points, making five shots from beyond the arc.

While Veesaar scored zero points in the first half, Evans had nine points and one rebound during that time. Seeing Evans play with that type of aggressiveness is something the coaching staff has been wanting to see. Maybe conference play was the urgency Evans needed to kick things into gear.

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