What Ed Cooley Said About North Carolina Following Loss on Sunday

Sunday's win over the Georgetown Hoyas was a prime example of North Carolina's dominant feature becoming an overwhelming factor every game.

North Carolina's defense and rebounding are beginning to catch many people's attention, including opposing head coaches who have to gameplan and prepare for the Tar Heels' intimidating front court.

While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference availability, Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley spoke glowingly of North Carolina and how it took the Hoyas' offense out of its rhythm.

Cooley's Thoughts

Dec 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) and forward Jarin Stevenson (15) block the shot of Georgetown Hoyas forward Jayden Fort (0) in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"You've got to give [North Carolina] a lot of credit," Cooley said. "I thought they played incredibly well, thought they shared the ball. I thought their length definitely impacted the game at the rim, between Caleb [Wilson] and [Henri] Veesaar. I think we got a little frustrated, and we tried to do it singlehandedly by ourselves. So that's something that we'll address."

North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis explained how the Tar Heels were able to stifle Georgetown's offense as the game progressed.

"Well, one of the things defensively, specifically in this game, we switch one through four," Davis said. "When you're switching defenses, you switch to take away. So, what it basically comes down to is, I felt in the first half we didn't do as good a job as we should have. But I thought in the second half we made them more of an isolation one-on-one team, less ball movement."

Speaking of Wilson, he had a big night, totaling 20 points and 14 rebounds. Cooley had high praise for the freshman forward and compared him to a legendary NBA player.

Dec 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) with the ball as Georgetown Hoyas forward Isaiah Abraham (7) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"I haven't seen many players like him in college basketball in probably 15 years," Cooley said. "He's a hell of a talent. I see him being an NBA All-Star. He has the ability to make pro moves. Athletic, long, incredible rebounder, plays in transition. He reminds me a lot of Tracy McGrady."

That is certainly a high mark for Wilson to meet, but the former five-star recruit has been as advertised, and quite frankly, has been even better than how some people perceived him to be at this point in his career.

Through nine games, Wilson is averaging 19.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per outing. The 6-foot-9, 216-pound forward has compiled these lofty averages while shooting 53.2 percent from the field.

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