Hubert Davis has UNC in great position despite injury-riddled season
· Yahoo Sports
For all the flack Hubert Davis catches as UNC's head men's basketball coach, he sure wins a lot of games, particularly in the injury-riddled, 2025-26 season.
For a good portion of non-conference play, North Carolina endured life without senior captain Seth Trimble. The Tar Heels continue trotting towards postseason play without superstar Caleb Wilson, who hopes to be back against Duke, while star center Henri Veesaar missed a couple games with an achilles injury.
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Despite all that, UNC is managing just fine with injuries throughout the year. North Carolina's trio previously missed a combined 15 games, but a 22-6 record is pretty good to show for those ailments.
Wilson broke his left hand in the Tar Heels' 75-66 loss at Miami (FL) on February 10, but came back to play the second half. UNC won without Wilson against a lowly Pitt squad, but NC State proved a completely different story, particularly with Veesaar also out.
Davis is calling on guys like Zayden High and Jarin Stevenson to step up, while giving Derek Dixon the keys to North Carolina's offense. All three of those moves are paying off.
High is a post weapon whom Davis is giving plenty additional minutes, particularly as Davis fine-tunes the Tar Heels' rotations with postseason play rapidly approaching. High is rewarding UNC with starter-level production, highlighted by a double-double against the Wolfpack (19-9, 10-5 ACC).
Stevenson, flipping between North Carolina's starting lineup and bench for most of the season, can plug and play anywhere. Need a quick three? Call on Stevenson. Need someone to create a size mismatch in the post? Stevenson. Lockdown defense and thunderous dunks? Stevenson.
Kyan Evans started at point guard to begin the Tar Heels' campaign, but Dixon's December emergence won him the job. Dixon gives off Kendall Marshall vibes: calm running the offense, but can provide a quick scoring burst when called upon.
Hopefully, UNC stays injury free as it chases a seventh NCAA Tournament Championship. Davis is doing a phenomenal job in the face of adversity – and North Carolina is lucky to have him as head coach.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball sits 22-6 despite star trio missing combined 15 games