Why North Carolina’s Role Players Will Be Significant Monday

The Tar Heels will need their supporting cast to step up against the Cardinals on Monday night.

Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis looks on during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels are looking to maintain momentum from this weekend's win over the Syracuse when it hosts the Louisville Cardinals at the Dean E. Smith Center on Monday night.

With Caleb Wilson still out of the lineup and Henri Veesaar returning from injury on Saturday, the Tar Heels have had to depend on unlikely contributors. While Veesaar is back in the fold, Wilson could be out for the rest of the regular season with a hand fracture.

With all of that being said, here are predictions for how North Carolina's role players will perform on Monday night.

Luka Bogavac

Stat line prediction: 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists

Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Luka Bogavac (44) drives against Syracuse Orange guard Nate Kingz (4) during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

The overseas transfer has picked it up the last eight games, averaging 10.7 points during that span. Bogavac's efficiency from the field will need to carry over against Louisville.

Bogavac has proven to be a consistent scorer, but he can struggle at times with turnovers and forcing contested shots.

Derek Dixon

Stat line prediction: 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists

Feb 17, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) passes the ball at the half court against during the first half against the NC State Wolfpack Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

The freshman guard has shot 28.6 percent or worse from the field and has not surpassed seven points in the last four outings. However, Dixon has been able to contribute in other ways, averaging more than four rebounds and three assists per game during that span.

Dixon spoke on his recent struggles, and how he is not allowing that to affect the other areas of the game.

• “Guys are [going to] have bad games, I’m [going to] have bad games,” Dixon said during his postgame availability after the team's win over Pittsburgh. “Didn’t shoot it particularly well tonight… I just tried to impact the game in any way I could, making right reads, making good passes, taking care of the ball and getting on the glass.” 

Zayden High

Stat line prediction: 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 block

Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Zayden High (1) reacts during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

High has been the main benefactor of Veesaar and Wilson being out of the lineup, and that production continued, even with the Arizona transfer back in the starting lineup. The junior forward totaled nine points and 11 rebounds against Syracuse on Saturday.

Earlier this week, head coach Hubert Davis spoke on High's impact since being elevated into the starting lineup for a brief stint.

• "I've been so impressed with Zayden. What he's doing, it's hard," Davis said. "When he started against [Pittsburgh] a week earlier, he was DNP coach's decision against Duke. And then a week later, he's starting, playing 32 minutes. And the last couple games, his production, in terms of scoring, rebounding, and defense, has been real."

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