LEXINGTON, KY — When North Carolina needed a late bucket, it didn't turn to any of its top scorers. Not even to a starter.
Instead, the Tar Heels put the ball in a freshman's hands. Or at least, that's where it ended up.
With under a minute to play and down by one, UNC didn't get the look it wanted. The play broke down and Derek Dixon had to improvise. He drove, stepped back and drilled a right-wing three. It gave the Heels a two-point lead with 56 seconds left.
Kentucky tied it on the next possession. Coach Hubert Davis called a timeout and drew up a play that gave Dixon three options: kick it to the corner, feed the big man on the pick and roll or drive to the hole.
Henri Veesaar set the screen at the top of the key. Dixon saw a lane, attacked the rim and rattled in a left-handed layup, a game-winner.
Dixon's late-game heroics gave UNC a vital 67-64 win over Kentucky Tuesday night, its first in Rupp Arena since 2007. With starting guard Kyan Evans in foul trouble, the 18-year-old stepped up in a raucous road atmosphere.
"I'm always straight-faced. Not too emotional, not too high, not too low," Dixon said after the game. "That's just a characteristic about me. It treats me well in these types of environments."
On another night, Davis might've gone to his freshman phenom Caleb Wilson. But the Wildcats shifted their defense and double-teamed him frequently. On Dixon's 3-pointer, Wilson was being denied on the right wing. He watched Dixon shoot it and crashed the glass in case he missed.
"I was just excited for him. It was a big moment; we were on ESPN playing Kentucky," Wilson said. "It doesn't get any bigger. To see him succeed and play well was great. I was so happy he was aggressive enough to take the shots that he took down the stretch."
Wilson wasn't alone. After the game, in an interview with ESPN, the entire Tar Heel team stood behind Dixon, much like the post-win huddles of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In that moment, it wasn't just Dixon who made the shot — it felt like everybody made it, from the managers to the coaches to the players.
"One of the biggest things that anybody can do is be able to celebrate somebody else's success," Davis said. "When you've got 15 guys there that feel like they made the three, they made the layup, that's really great as a coach to be able to see that."
Conveniently, in the days leading up to Tuesday's game, Davis had the team work on late-game situations. Down by six, up by six, tied, they simulated crunch time moments.
And in their first game since, it came down to exactly that.
Those moments in practice paid off Tuesday night. And as Dixon continues to get his feet wet — it was only his eighth collegiate game — he's going to continue to improve. This early in his career, Davis is already impressed with the command and fearlessness he showed.
Dixon feels the same, but also knows there's still a lot more of his game to unlock. And it'll all come with reps.
"I feel game by game I'm getting more comfortable. (I'm getting) More experience, the game is slowing down a little bit for me," Dixon said. "But (I've) still got to keep working."