Heel Tough Blog: Blue/White Scrimmage Takeaways

Maggie Hobson - GoHeels

2025-26 figures to be a big year for Hubert Davis, who is looking to silence his doubters and establish himself as the right man for the job, after an uneven first four seasons on the UNC bench, since Roy Williams retired. After losing the program’s #2 all-time leading scorer to graduation, Davis has rebuilt this roster with a mixture of impact transfers, high-quality freshmen, and an international pro, which’ll determine Davis’s fate as a head coach. After opening preseason practice a little over a week ago, the program held its annual Blue/White scrimmage today in Chapel Hill, giving fans an opportunity to see this year’s team before preseason exhibitions against BYU and Winston-Salem State later this month. 

Team White took down Team Blue in a tightly contested battle, 55-50, even though Team White was the better-compromised side, as they were suited with Kyan Evan, Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar, Jaydon Young, Jonathan Powell, Elijah Davis, and John Holbrook. As for Team Blue, they had Seth Trimble, Luka Bogavac, Jarin Stevenson, Zayden High, James Brown, and Evan Smith. The two sides competed in a 24-minute, high-energy scrimmage that displayed the potential of this group, and giving the coaching staff a glimpse of what needs to be worked on before the regular season starts in over a month. Here’s what to take away from today’s Blue/White scrimmage in the Smith Center. 

1. Luka Looks Legit: Carolina is still waiting for the NCAA to clear Luka Bogavac, but the international prospect from Montenegro looks the part already in Carolina. The international pro hit a handful of three-pointers and displayed an ability to create his own offense with the dribble-drive, while having a feel of where to run to when the team is playing in transition. He looks ready to be the wing player that Carolina sorely lacked last season. 

2. Caleb Wilson is Poised to be a Star: Carolina has struggled to get the most out of highly touted recruiting prospects in their freshman season, but that is subject to change with Caleb Wilson, who is the most gifted Tar Heel on the roster. What stands out the most isn’t his raw talent; it’s his competitiveness, which was evident on both ends of the floor. At every turn, Wilson was competing for a rebound, loose ball, close out on a perimeter shooter, etc. Then there is the talent. Wilson has a defined back to the basket game, a rarity for a player his age. His face-up game inside the arc is legit too, as he can create space with his footwork. Combine all of that with his ability to explode by defenders, or over them, and Wilson looks every bit the part of a former top-10 recruit. We’ve seen what Huibert Davis led teams have done when they have a difference maker at the stretch-4, and it appears like they have one in Chapel Hill for this season. 

3. Pace: One thing is evident about this version of the Tar Heels, they are going to run, early, and often, and that’s a good thing. Kyan Evans may have been quiet in terms of scoring, but his ability and overall desire to get the ball up the court is refreshing. But it wasn’t just Evans, virtually every guard was determined to get across the timeline, and into the offense in less than 7 seconds. Last year, Hubert Davis said he wanted to be the fastest team in the country from foul line to foul line, but he didn’t have a roster equipped to play that way. He does this year, and it should help Carolina generate an extra 8-12 points on a night basis. 

4. Revamped Frontcourt Shows Promise: After not having a reliable frontcourt for the majority of the season last year, it could be the strength of the team this year, with the additions of Bogavac, Wilson, and Henri Veesaar, the Arizona transfer, who was active on both ends of the floor today. Veesaar set multiple screens, slipped to the basket after screening, popped out for a three-pointer, and even drove his defender after getting a switch on the perimeter. His perceived backups, Zayden High and James Brown,both had moments while playing together, as Carolina looks to solidify itself behind Veesaar, who garnered some NBA buzz while at Arizona. 

5. Pick and Roll: One thing that was noticeable in the halfcourt is that Carolina is going to run a lot of pick-and-roll action, a staple you see in the NBA. Veesaar is a quality screener, but also becomes a threat after screening. Carolina’s guards, primarily Evans and Trimble, both displayed a nice feel for how to attack in the pick-and-roll as well. UNC has struggled at times in the halfcourt under Hubert Davis, and this should help them generate more consistent offense in the halfcourt and get more quality shots, as opposed to what they settled for a year ago. 

6. Turnovers: Not that you’ll see some of the passes being tried in an actual game, but you can tell this is still a roster learning how to play with each other, and there were times they got careless with the basketball. 

7. Missing in Action: A reason for the lopsided rosters is that two freshmen, Derek Dixon and  Isaiah Denis, along with High Point transfer Ivan Matlekovic, didn’t play due to injury. 

Make sure to tune in to tomorrow’s live edition of The Four Corners Podcast, as Josh & Anthony will recap the Blue/White Scrimmage more in depth.