One of the most important things North Carolina had difficulty finding players other than Seth Trimble, Henri Veesaar And Caleb Wilson who can consistently contribute to the dashboard.
While defense was the biggest problem throughout ACC play, with poor free throwing throughout the game, finding another player to step up was also an issue. However, this appears to have finally been resolved, at least for now.
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Here are three players who have stepped up considerably as of late.
Derek Dixon
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA – JANUARY 24: Derek Dixon #3 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dribbles past Chance Mallory #2 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half of a game at John Paul Jones Arena on January 24, 2026 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
Derek Dixon was named UNC’s starting point guard shortly before its loss to Cal, and he was a revelation for the Tar Heels. He averaged 12 points and four assists per game on 46.4% shooting from the field and 56.2% from 3-point range.
In UNC’s upset win over Virginia, Dixon had 11 points and seven assists, including eight points and six assists after halftime. He also hit a big 3-pointer with five seconds left in the first half to cut UVA’s lead to nine points, and it was a momentum-shifting play.
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With each of his departures, his plus-minus increased:
Luka Bogavac
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA – JANUARY 24: Luka Bogavac #44 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives past Thijs de Ridder #28 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half of a game at John Paul Jones Arena on January 24, 2026 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
In UNC’s first three games against the ACC, Luka Bogavac was 2-of-13 from the field (15.3 percent) and scored just eight points during that stretch, all against SMU. However, since being relegated to the bench, he has found his shooting stroke again.
He’s averaging 10.7 points and 3.0 rebounds on 43.3 percent shooting from the floor and 35.2 percent from 3-point range over the last four ACC games. In his last outing, Bogavac scored 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Jarin Stevenson
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA – JANUARY 24: Jarin Stevenson #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates a three-point shot in front of Johann Gruenloh #17 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the second half of a game at John Paul Jones Arena on January 24, 2026 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
Jarin Stevenson has exploded in the last two games.
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He was a big reason why Carolina beat Virginia last Saturday, as he scored all 17 of his points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor and 2-of-4 from 3-point range. He also had a great game coming off the bench against Notre Dame, finishing with eight points, five rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal.
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This article was originally published on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: the players mobilize and give offensive balance to the Tar Heels
