Where North Carolina Needs to Improve Following Win vs USC Upstate

The North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the USC Upstate Spartans 80-62 on Saturday at the Dean E. Smith Center. The margin of victory implies that the Tar Heels had complete control throughout the course of the game, but there were stretches where the Spartans showed their resilience and created issues for North Carolina.

The end result was already known, but the way in which it transpired was not always encouraging for the Tar Heels.

Dec 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) shoots as USC Upstate Spartans forward Jafeth Martinez (12) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Nonetheless, North Carolina showed improvement and development, especially in the role players and depth along the bench. However, what areas will head coach Hubert Davis be emphasizing during this week's practices?

Let's take a look at where North Carolina can improve upon heading into Tuesday's matchup against East Tennessee State.

Free Throws

Heading into this game, we talked about the importance of converting free throws, and if the Tar Heels struggled to take advantage of those opportunities, it would leave the door open for USC Upstate.

Dec 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) at the free throw line in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

That became a reality on Saturday, as the Tar Heels went 14-of-22 from the free throw line (63.6%). Six of those misses were from Caleb Wilson, who uncharacteristically struggled from the line.

North Carolina failing to knock those down at a higher clip allowed the Spartans to stick around. USC Upstate was down by only eight with almost four minutes remaining in the game.

Against a team of USC Upstate's caliber, missing free throws will not result in consequences, but in conference play, and especially in March, those missed free throws will cost the Tar Heels games.

Lack of Concentration

Dec 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) and forward James Brown (2) and USC Upstate Spartans forward Jafeth Martinez (12) dive for the ball in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Maybe this was because of the opponent, but there were times when North Carolina seemed out of sorts and unorganized on both ends of the floor.

While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, head coach Hubert Davis explained his heated message to the team during the under-eight-minute timeout.

Dec 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"There's a lot to be happy and excited and proud about," Davis said. "The 20 assists, I felt like we really shared the basketball. We took good shots, we took care of the basketball, and so from that standpoint, I was really happy with the team. I just didn't feel like the practices leading up to the game were at the level of attention to detail that is required to put yourself in a position to be successful."

Again, this area could be different with a better opponent, but regardless, the Tar Heels cannot allow this to become a habit or tendency moving forward. USC Upstate was not able to fully take advantage of it, but teams like Duke and Louisville will if presented the opportunity.

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