ATLANTA — The North Carolina Tar Heels wasted no time making their presence felt in Atlanta, charging out of the gates and never looking back in a convincing 91-75 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at McCamish Pavilion on January 31, 2026. In a contest that saw the No. 16 Tar Heels lead for all but 26 seconds, North Carolina delivered the kind of performance that leaves little doubt about their ambitions in the ACC and beyond.
From the opening tip, it was clear that Hubert Davis’s squad was locked in. The Tar Heels jumped to a 7-0 lead before Georgia Tech could blink, setting a tone that would persist throughout the afternoon. Caleb Wilson, the freshman phenom and Atlanta native, shined in his homecoming, dazzling the crowd with his signature blend of athleticism and skill. Wilson poured in 22 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and added a block and a steal for good measure. His highlight-reel alley-oops and thunderous dunks were the talk of the arena, with one in particular—off a lob from Kyan Evans—drawing gasps from both fans and broadcasters.
But Wilson wasn’t alone in his dominance. Henri Veesaar, the 7-foot Arizona transfer, was a force on both ends. Veesaar finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals, and an assist, anchoring the Tar Heels’ interior and punishing the Yellow Jackets’ shorthanded frontcourt. Georgia Tech, already struggling offensively this season and missing starting center Mouhamed Sylla due to injury, simply had no answer for North Carolina’s size and depth inside.
By halftime, the Tar Heels had built a 52-37 lead, propelled by efficient offense and relentless pressure. Wilson had racked up 14 points by the break, while Veesaar was close behind with 11 points and 9 rebounds. North Carolina’s ball movement was sharp—six different Heels recorded an assist in the first half, and eight players had already attempted a three-pointer in the opening eight minutes. UNC attempted 17 threes in the first half alone, compared to just three for Georgia Tech, underscoring the visitors’ confidence and spacing.
On the defensive end, North Carolina’s game plan was clear: force turnovers and convert them into points. The Tar Heels outscored Georgia Tech 18-0 in points off turnovers, a staggering margin that highlighted their discipline and focus. Early in the game, UNC had yet to commit a single turnover, a testament to their ball control—an area where they’ve excelled all season, averaging just 9.9 turnovers per game, third fewest in the ACC.
Georgia Tech, meanwhile, struggled to find any offensive rhythm. The Yellow Jackets entered the game with a 103.3 offensive rating, ranking 305th nationally, and their woes continued against North Carolina’s stout defense. Guard Kowacie Reeves Jr., Tech’s leading scorer, was hounded all afternoon, while the absence of Sylla in the paint left the Jackets vulnerable to second-chance points and easy buckets inside. Jaeden Mustaf, coming off a double-double performance against Virginia Tech, tried to spark his team but found little support as the Tar Heels’ length and athleticism closed off driving lanes and contested every shot.
Seth Trimble, another key cog in the Tar Heels’ machine, contributed 15 points and brought his trademark defensive intensity. Luka Bogavac added 13 points, growing more comfortable as the game wore on and helping UNC maintain its double-digit cushion. The Tar Heels’ offense, ranked second nationally in efficiency since early January, hummed along, with transition buckets and crisp passing keeping the Yellow Jackets on their heels.
Every time Georgia Tech threatened to make a run, North Carolina answered. When the Jackets cut the deficit to 15 early in the second half, Wilson responded with back-to-back assists—one a soaring alley-oop to Veesaar, the other a slick feed to Seth Wilson for a layup. Head coach Hubert Davis wasn’t shy about calling timeouts to refocus his squad after the occasional defensive lapse, but with their offense firing on all cylinders, the Tar Heels never let the game slip out of their control.
“This was a game that UNC needed to win in the fashion it’s going to,” observed one local reporter, capturing the mood in the building. The Heels’ dominance on the glass, their ability to force turnovers, and their balanced scoring all pointed to a team peaking at the right time. North Carolina’s three-point defense, a weakness in recent ACC play, was less of a concern on this day as Georgia Tech simply couldn’t generate enough open looks from deep.
The victory improved North Carolina’s record to 17-4 overall and 5-3 in the ACC, keeping them firmly in the hunt for a conference title and boosting their NCAA tournament resume. For Georgia Tech, now sitting at 11-11 (2-7 ACC), the loss was another tough pill to swallow in a season marked by inconsistency and missed opportunities. Still, head coach Damon Stoudamire pointed to his team’s effort on the defensive end in recent games as a foundation to build on, even as the Yellow Jackets search for answers offensively.
Looking ahead, the Tar Heels appear poised to make noise in both the ACC and national landscape. With Wilson emerging as a projected NBA lottery pick and Veesaar providing a steady veteran presence, North Carolina’s blend of youth and experience is paying dividends. Their ability to control tempo, take care of the basketball, and share the offensive load makes them a nightmare matchup for most opponents. And if their defense continues to tighten up, there’s no telling how high this group can climb.
As the final buzzer sounded in Atlanta, it was clear: North Carolina had taken care of business in emphatic fashion, sending a message to the rest of the conference. For the Tar Heels and their fans, the road to March just got a little bit smoother.