Why Jonathan Powell, Henri Veesaar Were Pivotal in UNC Victory

The North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 89-82 on Saturday night at the Dean E. Smith Center, improving to 17-0 at home this season.

Henri Veesaar led the way with 26 points and seven rebounds while Jonathan Powell was monumental off the bench with 15 points. While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, head coach Hubert Davis spoke on both players' impacts in the win.

Davis' Thoughts

Feb 28, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jonathan Powell (11) with the ball as Virginia Tech Hokies guard Jailen Bedford (0) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Jonathan Powell was instrumental, shooting 4-of-5 from three-point range and 3-of-5 from the free throw line. The 55-year-old head coach discussed how the sophomore forward was able to influence the outcome of the game.

“He was huge for us, just like you mentioned in a number of different areas," Davis said. "Obviously, his ability to shoot the basketball was needed; it was real tonight. Defensively, he’s a big guard, physical, and Virginia Tech’s offense has a lot of moving parts, and what is required is to get over, get through screens and guard, dribble-drive, defend without fouling, and then finish it with a rebound. And when you’ve got big, physical guards like Jonathan, that definitely helps. He played at a high level on both ends of the floor.”

On the other hand, Veesaar took a while to get going, scoring eight points in the first half while shooting 3-of-9 from the field. Davis explained how he challenged the Arizona transfer during halftime, and how Veesaar responded in the second half.

Feb 28, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) with the ball as Virginia Tech Hokies guard Neoklis Avdalas (17) and forward Tobi Lawal (1) defend in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

“We had some spirited conversations at halftime," Davis said. "I just want to dominate points in the paint… I’m straightforward and direct with them as well. And I felt like, in the first half, we were settling, not persistent in trying to get to the paint. We had a couple of their bigs in foul trouble, and we wanted to establish Henri. When Henri is going offensively, it opens up everything for us offensively.”

“I challenged him in the second half as well, and I thought with him, Seth [Trimble] and everyone else just putting their head down, getting to the basket, it allowed us to get to the free throw line, and then tonight, we’re able to hit our free throws," Davis continued.

“I felt like he worked harder to catch the ball where he wanted," Davis stated. "And I felt like in the first half, he was letting Virginia Tech dictate where he was catching the ball, which was too far out. And I felt like he worked extremely hard to catch the ball closer to the basket, where, if they came to double, it was the easy pitch out to the perimeter. And for him, just one dribble step, and he was already at the rim with his length. So, I thought his ability to catch the ball closer to the basket; he worked harder to allow him to have success in the second half.”

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