Four things to watch for UNC basketball vs. SMU

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No. 12 North Carolina will travel to Dallas for its first ACC road game of the season to take on the SMU Mustangs.

North Carolina comes into this game with a 13-1 record and a 1-0 ACC record after it defeated Florida State 79-66 on Dec. 30. SMU, on the other hand, is 11-2 and its matchup versus the Tar Heels will be its first conference game of the season for the Mustangs.

Saturday’s matchup at Moody Coliseum in Dallas is expected to draw a near-capacity crowd, as it will be North Carolina’s first appearance on SMU’s home court. Coming off a win over Florida State and facing an explosive SMU team on its own floor, the Tar Heels walk into a textbook trap scenario — one they can’t afford to overlook and one that figures to be tight from start to finish.

Here are four storylines to watch for the game.

Backcourt Battle

North Carolina’s offense has mostly been driven by its frontcourt, with Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar leading the charge and Jarin Stevenson providing versatility off the bench on both ends of the floor. However, UNC’s backcourt has been inconsistent outside of Seth Trimble.

SMU has mostly been driven by its backcourt, but its frontcourt is solid, too, with undersized but talented Corey Washington and 7-footer Samet Yigitoglu.

SMU is led by three high-impact perimeter players.

Fifth-year senior guard Boopie Miller, in his second season at SMU after stops at Central Michigan and Wake Forest, is having a career year after earning All-ACC honors, averaging roughly 20 points, 7 assists, 3.5 rebounds and more than 2 steals while shooting efficiently from the field, 3-point range and the free-throw line.

Wing Jaron Pierre, a transfer from Jacksonville State and former Conference USA Player of the Year, has become a primary scorer, putting up 18.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game with solid efficiency.

Combo guard BJ Edwards, compared to UNC’s Seth Trimble, stuffs the stat sheet at 13.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while anchoring SMU’s defense. He leads the ACC in steals, has a 10-steal game on his résumé and is the only player in the country with two triple-doubles this season.

This is the best backcourt UNC has faced yet because of the high volume of points produced by SMU’s three-headed monster of Edwards, Miller and Pierre. Bogavac needs to bounce back from his rough last outing, and Evans needs to build on his production. Dixon and Powell need to step up as well.

Homecourt Advantage

While SMU’s home arena, Moody Coliseum, seats 7,000, it has averaged a little more than 4,500 fans per game, with a season high of 5,383 in an 87-85 win over Butler on Nov. 15. However, this matchup is expected to draw a full house.

With a highly ranked, national-brand program like North Carolina in town, the Tar Heels are always going to attract a crowd. This will be UNC’s first appearance on SMU’s home court, adding to the buzz, especially with the Mustangs off to a strong start against a respectable schedule.

Who Will Get Buckets Outside of the Big 3?

Outside of Trimble, Wilson and Veesaar, no Tar Heel cracked 33% from the field. Evans technically landed right on that number, but every one of his 15 points came from deep, as he went 5-for-12 from 3-point range.

The rest of the perimeter group, though, never found a rhythm. Luka Bogavac, Derek Dixon, Jonathan Powell and Jarin Stevenson combined to shoot 3-for-18, with Bogavac going 0-for-5 and Dixon 0-for-3.

It looks even uglier from beyond the arc. Take away Evans’ five makes, and the rest of the team went just 2-for-17 from 3 (11.7%), a glaring reminder of how far this offense still has to go.

Someone has to emerge as a reliable fourth scorer. Maybe Evans can stay hot and even level up. Maybe Bogavac and Dixon rediscover their stroke. Powell turned in a strong December despite a 2-for-7 showing in UNC’s last outing.

What’s clear is this: the status quo won’t cut it as the Tar Heels wade deeper into ACC play — especially against a dangerous, guard-heavy team like SMU.

Rebounding Battle Could Decide It

Vanderbilt guard Chandler Bing (7) battle for the ball against SMUâ€™s Jaden Toombs (10) and B.J. Davis-Ray (9) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.

This matchup will feature one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the country in SMU vs. one of the best defensive rebounding teams in North Carolina.

The Mustangs are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, grabbing 13.3 offensive boards per game, which ranks third in the ACC and 51st nationally. They own a 37.1% offensive rebounding rate, second in the ACC and 38th in the nation. Over their last five games, they have averaged 15 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points per contest.

The Tar Heels lead the ACC and are eighth nationally in defensive rebounds per game with 30.2. That is a large reason why they are 13th in rebounds nationally and 33rd in rebound margin nationally.'

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Four things to watch vs. SMU

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