North Carolina Overcomes Halftime Deficit to Defeat Kansas 87-74

The No. 25 North Carolina Tar Heels overcame a halftime deficit to defeat the No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks 87-74 on Friday night in Chapel Hill. Freshman forward Caleb Wilson led the Tar Heels with 24 points, while center Henri Veesaar contributed 20 points. Senior guard Seth Trimble added 17 points, with 13 coming in the second half, helping North Carolina (2-0) dominate after the break.

The Tar Heels trailed 37-29 at halftime but surged in the second half, making 18 of their first 23 shots. Trimble's consecutive fast-break baskets early in the period prompted Kansas coach Bill Self to call a timeout. North Carolina shot 66.7% from the field in the second half, outscoring Kansas 58-37.

Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson led the Jayhawks (1-1) with 22 points. The Jayhawks had previously won five consecutive meetings against North Carolina, including the 2022 national championship game. This game marked Kansas's first visit to Chapel Hill.

North Carolina will continue its homestand by hosting Radford on Tuesday, while Kansas returns home to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi the same day.