Notre Dame Fighting Irish at North Carolina Tar Heels
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Wilson, Veesaar lead way as No. 22 North Carolina rolls past Notre Dame 91-69 in ACC play
The 7-foot Veesaar had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Tar Heels (15-4, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who had lost three of four amid an abrupt defensive downturn — notably against shots from behind the arc.
The Tar Heels didn't have any trouble this time, with the Fighting Irish (10-9, 1-5) struggling since losing leading scorer Markus Burton to left-ankle surgery in early December. North Carolina got off to a fast start from outside and kept firing, making a season-high 13 3-pointers while shooting 50.8% overall to send the Irish to a fifth straight loss.
The Tar Heels led 42-33 at halftime, then rolled out of the break with 10 unanswered points to blow the game open — powered by Veesaar's immediate jumper, a 3-pointer and a layup during the spurt.
Wilson was strong out of the gate while working more in the post, with the star freshman finishing 8 for 11 from the field to go with seven rebounds and five assists.
Sir Mohammed scored 14 points, while Jalen Haralson added 13 to lead Notre Dame, which shot 36%. The Fighting Irish did manage to shoot well from outside early, but Notre Dame went just 2 of 13 on 3s after halftime and finished the game at 8 for 25 (32%).
That was notable considering UNC's struggles stopping the 3 since the start of ACC play. Entering Wednesday’s game, the Tar Heels had allowed five ACC opponents to make 70 of 156 3-pointers (44.9%) for an average of 14 made 3s per game.
UNC: The Tar Heels visit No. 14 Virginia on Saturday.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 69 - 91 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 69 - 91 |
| 2nd 0:26 | Ryder Frost makes 25-foot three point jumper | 69 - 91 |
| 2nd 0:37 | Evan Smith makes free throw 2 of 2 | 66 - 91 |
| 2nd 0:37 | Evan Smith makes free throw 1 of 2 | 66 - 90 |
Statistics
 ND |
 UNC |
|
|---|---|---|
| 27-75 | FG | 31-61 |
| 36 | Field Goal % | 51 |
| 8-25 | 3PT | 13-34 |
| 32 | Three Point % | 38 |
| 7-13 | FT | 16-23 |
| 54 | Free Throw % | 70 |
| 39 | Rebounds | 44 |
| 18 | Offensive Rebounds | 10 |
| 21 | Defensive Rebounds | 34 |
| 13 | Assists | 18 |
| 5 | Steals | 3 |
| 0 | Blocks | 5 |
| 5 | Turnovers | 8 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 5 | Total Turnovers | 8 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 2 | Points Off Turnovers | 7 |
| 2 | Fast Break Points | 13 |
| 30 | Points in Paint | 32 |
| 16 | Fouls | 17 |
| 0 | Largest Lead | 29 |
| 0 | Lead Changes | 0 |
| 0 | Percent Led | 97 |
Game Information
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Attendance: 19,686 | Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 9-0 | - | 20-1 |
| Clemson | 8-1 | 1 | 18-4 |
| Virginia | 7-2 | 2 | 18-3 |
| NC State | 7-2 | 2 | 16-6 |
| Miami | 6-3 | 3 | 17-5 |
| North Carolina | 5-3 | 3.5 | 17-4 |
| Louisville | 5-4 | 4 | 15-6 |
| Virginia Tech | 5-5 | 4.5 | 16-7 |
| SMU | 4-4 | 4.5 | 15-6 |
| California | 4-5 | 5 | 16-6 |
| Syracuse | 4-5 | 5 | 13-9 |
| Stanford | 3-6 | 6 | 14-8 |
| Florida State | 3-6 | 6 | 10-12 |
| Boston College | 2-6 | 6.5 | 9-12 |
| Georgia Tech | 2-7 | 7 | 11-11 |
| Notre Dame | 2-7 | 7 | 11-11 |
| Wake Forest | 2-7 | 7 | 11-11 |
| Pittsburgh | 2-7 | 7 | 9-13 |