Why Wilson Frustrated Following UNC Loss to Stanford

The North Carolina Tar Heels suffered a gut-wrenching 95-90 defeat to the Stanford Cardinal on Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion. After leading since the 15-minute mark in the first half, the Tar Heels surrenderured the lead with just over a minute remaining in the game.

Freshman forward Caleb Wilson was instrumental, totaling 26 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. That performance was wasted, as North Carolina failed to close the game out.

While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, discussed his frustrations with how the game unfolded.

Wilson's Thoughts

Jan 14, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) shoots against North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) in the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

“They ran the same play, pretty much every time down the court,” Wilson said. “[They] brought the three and the four up, came off the right side, and basically just played isolation basketball.”

Stanford's star freshman guard Ebuka Okorie dominated, totaling 36 points, nine assists, three rebounds, and two steals while shooting 12-of-20 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. It was the third consecutive game in which the Tar Heels allowed the opponent's top guard to score at least 27 points.

“I guess, at the end of the day, it’s just about being able to guard the ball,” Wilson said. “That’s really all I can say. They stuck to exactly what was working. They were in the same place over and over again. It wasn’t like they were doing anything special.”

Jan 14, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) shoots against Stanford Cardinal forward Aidan Cammann (52) in the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Wilson's comments were brought to head coach Hubert Davis' attention, and the 55-year-old coach responded.

“I would respectfully disagree with that,” Davis said. “It was coming from a number of different situations. They were scoring threes in transition; it was coming off of isolation. It was coming off of ball screens, late communication, closeouts, and in terms of rotations. And so, whether it was running a consecutive play, they were getting different things.”

Jan 14, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Donavin Young (2) dribbles against North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) in the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Stanford's head coach Kyle Smith believes his offensive scheme is simple but stated that his players and coaching staff did a good job disguising looks and confusing the Tar Heels' defense.

“Our offense is pretty simple,” Smith said. “I thought we had one of the best players in the gym tonight and we just disguised a lot of different ways to get him with the ball and try to get two on the ball with him. We disguised a lot of those horns a lot of different ways, where this guy had the ball and there’s a screen or two behind it.”

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