Why Trimble Was Proud of North Carolina Response Saturday

Despite being without Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, the North Carolina Tar Heels coasted to victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers, winning 79-65 on Saturday afternoon at the Dean E. Smith Center.

The Tar Heels had four scorers in double digits, which was the driving force in their win over the lowly Panthers on Saturday. Seth Trimble recorded 19 points, three rebounds, and two steals while shooting 5-of-13 from the field. While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, Trimble discussed several talking points, including Wilson's injury announcement.

Trimble's Thoughts

Feb 14, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Omari Witherspoon (8) with the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) defends in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"It really sucked, but we've been through it before," Trimble said of learning about the star freshman slated to miss time with a hand fracture. "You know, these guys went through it when I got hurt. So, we knew that it's not time just to be sad and sob. We know we [got to] push through and try to find light."

Multiple bench players, including Luka Bogavac and Zayden High, were monumental in the Tar Heels' win. Trimble highlighted both of their performances and how they embodied the message from Hubert Davis.

"[Head] Coach [Hubert Davis] always talks about, you may not know when your number will be called, but it's going to be called at this point of the season," Trimble said. "Zayden tonight, he was incredible - played 32 minutes and didn't look too tired to me. I mean, Jarin was incredible. Luka was great. Everybody was really, really good. It was very much well-rounded basketball."

Feb 14, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) shoots as Pittsburgh Panthers forward Cameron Corhen (2) defends in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

With North Carolina's frontcourt tandem out, the Tar Heels deployed a guard-heavy rotation, which led to a faster tempo, according to Trimble.

"We were definitely playing with more tempo. Caleb and Henri aren't slow - when you have more guards in the court, you're going to be a faster team," Trimble said. "So, we wanted to take advantage of that. Us guards, the way we score in the paint, usually we look to get a lot of paint touches from post entries, a lot. But without Caleb and Henri, of course, you can't do it to the same amount that we usually do. So, us guards did a good job of penetrating, getting the ball in the paint."

Feb 14, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Cameron Corhen (2) with the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels forward Zayden High (1) defends in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

As mentioned, High was impressive, recording 15 points and seven rebounds while shooting 7-of-11 from the field. Trimble spoke glowingly of the 6-foot-9, 229-pound forward.

"When Zayden is going against Henri and Caleb and Jarin [Stevenson], he's incredible, he's giving them trouble, his footwork," Trimble explained. "I don't think you've seen his full arsenal yet, but Zayden is a super talented player. You know, we were raving about him in the preseason, and I think you guys saw who we've been talking about."

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