Wilson leads No. 12 North Carolina against SMU after 22-point game

By Canadian Press on January 3, 2026.

North Carolina Tar Heels (13-1, 1-0 ACC) at SMU Mustangs (11-2)

Dallas; Saturday, 2:15 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 12 North Carolina visits SMU after Caleb Wilson scored 22 points in North Carolina’s 79-66 win over the Florida State Seminoles.

The Mustangs are 9-0 in home games. SMU has a 1-0 record in one-possession games.

The Tar Heels are 1-0 against ACC opponents. North Carolina is 11-1 in games decided by at least 10 points.

SMU scores 91.1 points, 27.4 more per game than the 63.7 North Carolina gives up. North Carolina averages 81.2 points per game, 4.7 more than the 76.5 SMU allows to opponents.

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting this season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kevin Miller is shooting 47.2% and averaging 19.9 points for the Mustangs. Jaron Pierre Jr. is averaging 1.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Kyan Evans is averaging 6.4 points and 3.6 assists for the Tar Heels. Wilson is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Mustangs: 8-2, averaging 91.7 points, 36.6 rebounds, 20.2 assists, 9.3 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 51.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.9 points per game.

Tar Heels: 9-1, averaging 77.0 points, 38.1 rebounds, 16.6 assists, 4.9 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 63.7 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press

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