February 28, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis and guard Seth Trimble (7) play in the second half at the Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images No. 17 North Carolina will look to extend its three-game winning streak when it takes on Clemson on Tuesday night in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
While freshman Caleb Wilson is sidelined for the Tar Heels (23-6, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) with a hand injury, his frontcourt mate Henri Veesaar is back in the lineup and playing his best basketball.
The 7-footer from Estonia scored a season-high 26 points in UNC’s 89-82 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday. Since returning from an Achilles tendon injury, Veesaar has averaged 19 points and 4 rebounds per game, helping the Tar Heels to three straight wins over the Hokies, Syracuse and Louisville.
“When Henry steps up offensively, everything opens up for us,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “I felt like he worked extremely hard to get the ball closer to the basket. When you double, it’s an easy throw. And for him, all it takes is one dribble step and he’s already got his length to the rim.”
In Wilson’s absence, the Tar Heels got a boost from guard Seth Trimble, who was named ACC Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 25 points, four assists and three rebounds per game in UNC’s wins over Louisville and Virginia Tech.
Wilson may return soon. Davis said Monday that Wilson recently had his cast removed and was able to do individual exercises.
“He can’t do anything 5-on-5, but he’s done that in terms of dribbling, catching and shooting, and he continues to get better every day,” Davis said.
The Tar Heels will be cautious about Wilson’s return, both for tournament play and for his future as a potential top selection in the upcoming NBA draft. They will have to deal with Clemson (21-8, 11-5) without him.
Brad Brownell’s Tigers snapped a four-game losing streak with an 80-75 win over Louisville on Saturday, behind 16-point Jestin Porter. RJ Godfrey added 13 points in the win. He is the Tigers’ leading scorer this season with 11.5 points per game.
Clemson continues to struggle on defense this year, ranking 19th in the nation with just 65.9 points allowed per game. The Tigers also allow their opponents just 10.3 assists per game, which ranks in the top 10 nationally.
“I felt good for our guys. I felt like we wanted to get a little bit of our swagger back,” Brownell said of the win over Louisville. “And now we have to play against a great team in North Carolina at their place. Stay confident, keep working on it, make sure we’re really well prepared, and see how we do.”
It is Clemson’s final road game of the regular season and North Carolina’s final home game. The Tigers are scheduled to close their ACC campaign at home against Georgia Tech on Saturday, while the Tar Heels travel to rival Duke.
–Field level media
