The top moments of 2025 for UNC

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The University of North Carolina has had its fair share of big moments in the 2026 calendar year. Athletics has found success in different ways. From basketball to women's lacrosse winning the national title, there are a lot of good moments from this past year.

Now with 2026 officially here, we looked back at the year that was for the Tar Heels. Here are the top four moments from 2025.

UNC Basketball finally beats Kansas

No. 25 North Carolina erased an eight-point halftime deficit and blitzed No. 19 Kansas 87–74 at the Dean Smith Center, riding a dominant second half to its first win over the Jayhawks since 2002.

The Tar Heels (2–0) shot 66.7 percent after the break and outscored Kansas 58–37 in the second half, turning a 37–29 deficit into a runaway. UNC opened the half on a 29–9 run, seized control and stretched the lead to as many as 16 as the home crowd roared.

Freshman forward Caleb Wilson stole the show with 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals. He became the first UNC freshman to score at least 20 points in each of his first two games. Henri Veesaar added 20 points, four rebounds and four assists, while guard Seth Trimble chipped in 17 points, 11 of which and eight rebounds.

Guard Kyan Evans ignited the surge out of the locker room, scoring 12 of his points in the second half as Carolina flipped the game’s momentum. The Tar Heels dominated the glass 39–27 and pummeled Kansas inside with a 48–20 advantage in paint points, including a 16–7 edge on the offensive boards.

After committing 10 first-half turnovers that led to 17 Kansas points, UNC tightened up and turned it over just once in the final 20 minutes. The victory snapped the Jayhawks’ five-game winning streak in the series and offered an early sign that this North Carolina team may be built to last.

UNC Wins ACC Baseball Tournament Title

North Carolina routed Clemson 14–4 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park to claim its ninth ACC tournament championship and first since 2022.

The Tar Heels (42–12) delivered their largest margin of victory ever in an ACC title game, erasing an early deficit with 14 unanswered runs. UNC racked up 13 hits and launched three home runs, two of them during an eight-run fifth inning that blew the game open.

Jackson Van De Brake powered the offense with five RBIs, including a three-run shot that capped the decisive frame. Gavin Gallaher added three hits and two doubles, punctuating a strong week at the plate.

Freshman right-hander Ryan Lynch steadied North Carolina on the mound, tossing four shutout innings and wriggling out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the fourth with two strikeouts and a groundout. The Tar Heels tacked on two more runs in the sixth before Clemson scratched across late consolation runs.

Catcher Luke Stevenson was named tournament MVP, while Stevenson, Van De Brake and Jake Knapp were selected to the All-Tournament team. The title ties North Carolina for the second-most ACC baseball tournament championships in conference history.

UNC sacks Stanford nine times on homecoming

In a 4-8 season short on highlights, North Carolina delivered a memorable defensive performance in a 20-15, flag-filled Homecoming win over Stanford on Nov. 8.

The victory was anything but clean. The Tar Heels were outgained 320-253 and whistled for 11 penalties, and their defense gave up 284 passing yards, much of it after the outcome was essentially decided. Still, UNC’s pass rush turned the afternoon into a nightmare for Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown.

North Carolina sacked Brown nine times, continuing a recent surge up front. The Tar Heels have piled up 19 sacks over their last three games. Melkart Abou-Jaoude and Tyler Thompson led the charge with three sacks apiece, Andrew Simpson added two and Smith Vilbert chipped in one.

The nine sacks rank as the third-highest single-game total in program history, trailing only the school-record 10 recorded in last season’s 41-14 win over Virginia.

Women's Lacrosse wins fourth National Championship

North Carolina women’s lacrosse capped a perfect 22-0 season by beating Northwestern 12-8 at Gillette Stadium to win the 2025 NCAA championship, the program’s fourth national title. Chloe Humphrey led UNC with four goals and an assist, while her sister Ashley added four assists and set the NCAA Tournament record with 20 assists in four games.

The Tar Heels’ defense, anchored by All-American Sam Forrest, held national scoring leader Madison Taylor without a goal for the first time in 45 games. UNC dominated draws 17-7, used a key fourth-quarter burst sparked by two quick goals from Eliza Osburn, and extended its postseason run of success under coach Jenny Levy, who earned her 443rd career win and fourth national title. A record crowd of 14,423 attended the game, the largest ever for an NCAA women’s lacrosse championship.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Athletics: Highlighting the year’s biggest wins and moments

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