What Makes a Tar Heels Run Feel Possible

The North Carolina Tar Heels have everything at their disposal as they enter conference play, which opens up this week. North Carolina hosts the Florida State Seminoles on Tuesday night at the Dean E. Smith Center.

UNC — Nov 3, 2025 | Freshman Caleb Wilson against Central Arkansas | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

It will be the first time this group of players will go out on the floor against an ACC opponent. This team has continued to develop chemistry, which took a hit when a key player went down with a significant injury early in the season.

With all that being said, here are a couple of reasons North Carolina is a candidate to extend their winning streak to double-digit games.

Seth Trimble Provides Organization and Foundation

Dec 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) rests on the bench during the first half against the East Carolina Pirates at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The aforementioned player that suffered a serious injury is Seth Trimble, who missed nine consecutive games with a fractured forearm. Since returning, the Tar Heels' offense looks completely different, especially in transition.

Head coach Hubert Davis explained how Trimble unlocks that feature of the offense, which had been missing for stretches in games.

"He runs faster. He does, he just, the way that he gets out on the break, he can get a defensive stop, he can get a rebound," Davis said. "And within three or four steps, he's across half court and he's gone. And just having one person pulls everybody along. And then when they see Seth getting those pitch-ahead layups, everybody wants to score, so then they start running, it's contagious. And it was nice to see that back in our offense today."

Dec 20, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) dribbles against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Additionally, Trimble also allows Davis to utilize multiple rotations, which opens up so much for the coaching staff to unload on opposing teams.

"It gives us versatility to be able to do some different things that are specific for each game," Davis said. "I talked about Devin Royal, but there's really only one guy on our team that had any chance of getting a stop on Bruce Thornton, and that was Seth. Having him in the lineup was huge."

Caleb Wilson's Awareness is Elite

For a freshman who has hit the ground running with little to no speed bumps, Wilson still understands and acknowledges that he can improve. The 6-foot-9, 216-pound forward mentioned this earlier in the week.

Dec 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) runs back against the East Carolina Pirates during the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

"[Seth Trimble] has been telling me that teams really scout you and they are really focused on you, but honestly, I'm sure it will be tougher, but I feel like that is already happening to me," Wilson said. "Like today [Monday], I turned the ball over way too much in the first half, but it was because I didn't look before I was going."

"I watched it on film at halftime, and they were always doubling from the baseline because they knew I was going to spin off [since] I do it every single time because nobody can guard that," Wilson continued. "I am really just learning. Of course, people are going to scout me, but I will be good."

That will go a long way, not just for Wilson, but towards the team's long-term success. Wilson is arguably the best player on this team, and if he exercises these healthy habits, so will his teammates.

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