The No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels can thank Henri Veesaar for escaping Saturday’s game against the Ohio State Buckeyes with a 71-70 victory at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga.
With the Tar Heels down by a point with just seconds left in the second half, North Carolina star guard Seth Trimble tried to attack the basket but lost possession of the ball while trying to execute a spin move.
Fortunately for North Carolina, junior center Veesaar was there to recover the leather before seeing a wide-open opportunity to score. Veesaar rose for an uncontested and emphatic two-handed throwdown to give the Tar Heels a one-point lead, with 7.2 ticks left in regulation.
You can watch Veesaar’s heroic bucket here:
Clutch Player, Clutch Play 😮💨
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) December 20, 2025
Henri Veesaar slams it for the game-winning dunk with less than 10 seconds left
📺 @CBSSportsCBB x @UNC_Basketball
pic.twitter.com/dzaDMRrB78
Although Ohio State still had ample time to find a way to get the lead back, the Buckeyes failed to capitalize on the opportunity, as they missed both desperation shots down the stretch.
Veesaar finished the game with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting with 10 rebounds, 5 assists and a block. The Tar Heels were led on offense by Caleb Wilson, who came up with 20 points on 9-for-16 shooting to go along with 15 boards, 3 blocks and 2 assists in an all-around performance that helped North Carolina notch its 11th win against a loss in the 2025-26 college basketball season.
Looking ahead, North Carolina will face the East Carolina Pirates on Monday at Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
