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2 Winning UNC Strategies Heading into Cal Showdown

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Caleb Meadows | Last updated Jan 17, 2026 7:00 AM ET

The North Carolina Tar Heels take on the California Golden Bears this afternoon. UNC will be on the road for its second straight game and must get the season back on track. Both of these teams have been on a downward trajectory ever since conference play began, so this game is a must-win for both squads.

The Tar Heels are entering the contest at 2-2 in ACC play and have not finished with a losing record in conference play since the 2019-20 season. Head coach Hubert Davis has to be trying his all to avoid reverting to that season.

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Here are two predictions heading into the matchup against Cal.

Bounce-back performance

Davis is 26-13 after a loss in his career at UNC. You combine that record with a lower-level ACC team in Cal, and that is a recipe for a bounce-back game for the Tar Heels. The Tar Heels scored 90 points in their last game, although in a loss, they showed that offense was not the problem, outside of the last five minutes of the game.

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The good news for UNC is that Cal has not scored more than 75 points in its last six games. This game could be a huge confidence boost for the Tar Heels and hopefully set them straight for the rest of the season.

It also helps that the Tar Heels have one of the best players in college basketball, Caleb Wilson. The UNC star was visibly frustrated after the shocking loss to Stanford.

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“I’m frustrated, I hate to lose, and I hate losing when we don’t have to,” Wilson said. “That’s all I can say, I mean, the emotion in the locker room, nobody was really talking.”

If anyone can light a fire under their squad, it is Wilson. A fiery Wilson could be bad news for Cal, and they will be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wilson’s competitiveness and drive to win will ultimately prevail and show his dominance against the Golden Bears.

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Jaydon Young and Jonathan Powell see more minutes

Jaydon Young and Jonathan Powell only got 10 minutes of action combined in the last game. This was after Young carried UNC to a win versus Wake Forest, so it was shocking to see that he only received six minutes.

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What was even more bizarre was Powell getting four minutes of action. He is averaging 17 minutes per game this season, and then all of a sudden, he gets just four minutes out of nowhere.

With how lackluster guard play has been for the Tar Heels lately, it would be nice to see Young and Powell getting more burn.

This article first appeared on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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