North Carolina came up short against BYU, 78-76, in Salt Lake City in an exhibition that highlighted both promise and concern for the Tar Heels. The contest saw

Freshman big man Caleb Wilson starred with a double-double, but the North Carolina Tar Heels committed 19 turnovers while losing to BYU.

BYU is ranked eighth in the preseason AP top 25 and is considered by many to be a national championship contender. The Cougars made it to the Sweet 16 last season as a six seed and have added freshman AJ Dybantsa, the number one recruit in the 2025 class.

AJ Dybantsa scored 18 points to lead the No. 8 BYU Cougars to an exhibition win over No. 25 North Carolina on Friday night.

Though the outcome does not count in the standings, there are lessons to be learned for North Carolina after a narrow 78-76 loss to BYU in its exhibition game i

BYU took down North Carolina 78–76 in an exhibition matchup Friday night in Salt Lake City, thanks to a clutch defensive stop from Keba Keita, who denied North Carolina’s Seth Trimble at the buzzer.

BYU outscored North Carolina 44-38 in the paint despite impressive Tar Heel height, including 7-foot Estonian center Henri Veesaar (14 points) and 6-foot-11 Jarin Stevenson. BYU countered with Keita (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Mihailo Boskovic under the boards.

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Of the previous five matchups between the two programs, four were played at neutral sites, with the other taking place in Chapel Hill back in 1976, when the Cougars fell 113–93. North Carolina remains the only school BYU has faced at least five times without earning a win, the last meeting coming in Las Vegas in 2007.

For BYU: Wing AJ Dybantsa, the Cougars’ highest-rated recruit of all time, had 30 points and seven rebounds while shooting 52.6% from the field in the loss to Nebraska in his first game in a BYU jersey. Guard Richie Saunders is a first-team All-Big 12 performer who averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.