It might be a little bit much to give someone player of the game based mainly on two plays, but they were quite important ones.Derek Dixon did not lead North Carolina in any of the typical box score stats in Tuesday’s 67-64 win over Kentucky. The reason we’re giving him the nod is that he was generally solid all game, but also came up massive in the final minute, making the two biggest buckets to give the Heels what looks like to be a marquee road win.Dixon had a final line of nine points on 3-8 shooting, going 1-4 from three, along with three rebounds and two assists. However, this was a game in which offense wasn’t always easy to come by, and a lot of the leading scorers don’t have the most efficient stat lines. This nod is due to those five of his points that wound up being the ones the Heels needed to get the win.Following a Tar Heel run that turned a six-point deficit into a tie game with just under four minutes left, the two teams began to trade blows. Kentucky landed one of those blows by knocking down a pair of free throws, taking a one-point lead. With just under a minute left, Dixon was on the floor running the point. With the shot clock running down and the ball in his hands after a play broke down, he got some separation from his defender and fired up a three, soundtracked by Dick Vitale alerting the ESPN viewers that “he can shoot.” The ensuing make ensured that Carolina never trailed again in the game:North Carolina guard Derek Dixon on UNC’s gameplan coming out of the timeout ahead of his two clutch, game-winning shots vs Kentucky:”On the three-pointer, we drew up a play. The play broke down, and I just had to make a play.” pic.twitter.com/4L8SEMR1GV— Vince Wolfram (@vincewolfram15) December 3, 2025That wasn’t the end, though, as the Wildcats went back down the floor and got a layup to tie things back up. On the next possession, the ball again ended up in Dixon’s hands. After getting a screen, Dixon saw a lane and got to the basket, putting up a layup that ended up being the game-winning shot.UNC freshman Derek Dixon with two huge buckets on the road late in the game to give the Tar Heels a win over Kentucky 👀 pic.twitter.com/NdZ4LloRzB— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) December 3, 2025Some defensive stops and free throws later, the Tar Heels were walking out of Rupp with a huge win.Were it not for Dixon’s clutch heroics, player of the game would probably be going to Henri Veesaar. Statistically speaking, Veesaar probably had the biggest night for Carolina. He went for a team-leading 17 points, while also grabbing 10 rebounds for a double-double. Caleb Wilson did not have a particularly efficient night, scoring his 15 points on 19 shots, but he did have a few big buckets in the second half to help UNC rally after trailing much of the half.As a team, UNC shot 40.6% from the floor, which isn’t the worst you’ll ever see, but also isn’t exactly great. In a game in which they needed big buckets, they got them in the clutch from Dixon, and that’s why the freshman guard is our player of the game.