Ranking UNC's Top 10 Games of Last Season: No. 7

Continuing the countdown of the top ten best games of the previous season, we take a look at a very entertaining matchup against the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest.

No. 7 - North Carolina vs. Wake Forest

The Demon Deacons were point-blank a bottom-tier team in the ACC last season, no matter how you look at it. They finished the season with a 7-11 conference record and an overall record barely above .500 at 18-17.

Jan 10, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) dunks the ball against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This didn’t stop them from putting up a fight against the Tar Heels on the road. They took North Carolina down to the wire, falling just short of putting together an impressive second-half come-from-behind win.

The Tar Heels got off to a fast start, jumping out to a 16-4 lead early on in the first half to grab hold of all of the momentum. The Heels enjoyed that lead for the entirety of the first half, heading into the locker room after twenty minutes with the lead 49-38.

Jan 10, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) passes the ball against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

North Carolina continued to string together an impressive offensive performance throughout the second half, until Wake Forest finally was able to take hold of some momentum late in the second half.

It wasn’t until four minutes left in the game that Wake was able to pull within one point of the Tar Heels. A large amount of credit can be given to Hubert Davis and the guys in this one, because they didn’t falter or stand down, and continued to put up points despite the momentum swing.

Jan 10, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis speaks to the team during a time out against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wake Forest came close, but North Carolina finished off the game and held on to win 87-84. Through many close calls and an inspiring rally from Wake Forest, the Tar Heels were able to claim a victory while leading throughout the entire game.

Box Score

The stars for Carolina played like stars in this one. Caleb Wilson put together a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Henri Veesaar came close to one with nine rebounds and 25 points.

One of the more surprising stat lines came from Jaydon Young, who managed to put up 12 points in 19 minutes while shooting 3/5 from three.

The Demon Deacons were a two-man show that night. Both Juke Harris and Nate Calmese put up 28 points apiece with a combined 12 three-pointers between the two.

Jan 10, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Juke Harris (2) goes to the basket with North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jarin Stevenson (15) defending during the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The two teams no doubt put up an entertaining game, but North Carolina was able to defend home court and escape with the win.

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