CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Interstat) — Caleb Wilson scored 22 points and Seth Trimble added 20 as North Carolina methodically pulled away from Florida State for a 79-66 victory in an Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball game Tuesday night at a sold-out Dean Smith Center.

A crowd of 20,618 saw the Tar Heels improve to 13-1 overall and 1-0 in the ACC, using a decisive first-half run to establish a lead they would never relinquish. The Seminoles fell to 7-7 and 0-1.

The game’s most important sequence came midway through the first half, turning a tight contest into a comfortable North Carolina advantage. With Florida State leading 13-11 after a Chauncey Wiggins layup, the Tar Heels unleashed a 14-0 run over a three-minute span that fundamentally changed the game’s trajectory. The surge was fueled by North Carolina’s defensive intensity and Florida State’s offensive struggles. It began with a Caleb Wilson free throw and a Jonathan Powell 3-pointer off a Wilson assist. After a Seminoles turnover, Wilson converted an and-one opportunity, and following another Florida State giveaway, Kyan Evans hit a 3-pointer. Wilson capped the run with a tip-in, pushing the lead to 25-13 and forcing a Florida State timeout. The Seminoles, who shot just 34.8% from the field for the game, could not mount a sustained response, as the Tar Heels maintained at least a nine-point cushion the rest of the way.

North Carolina led 40-34 at halftime and opened the second half with an 8-2 spurt to extend its lead to 12. The Tar Heels’ advantage ballooned to as many as 18 points in the second half before settling on the final 13-point margin.

Wilson, the 6-foot-10 sophomore from Atlanta, filled the stat sheet beyond his scoring, adding six assists and two blocks. Trimble, a senior guard, was efficient from the floor and the free-throw line. Henri Veesaar provided a strong interior presence for North Carolina with 12 points, while Evans chipped in 15 points off the bench.

Florida State was led by Wiggins, who scored 16 points. Robert McCray V had 11 points and eight assists, while Kobe MaGee and Lajae Jones added 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Seminoles’ offense was hampered by poor shooting, connecting on just 23 of 66 field goal attempts, including 12 of 40 from 3-point range. They also managed only five assists as a team against nine turnovers.

North Carolina shot 42.6% from the field and outrebounded Florida State 45-39, including a 14-11 edge on the offensive glass that led to 15 second-chance points. The Tar Heels also capitalized at the free-throw line, making 14 of 20 attempts compared to Florida State’s 8-of-14 performance.

The victory extends North Carolina’s strong start to the season, with its only loss coming to Michigan State in late November. Florida State, which entered conference play having won its last two non-conference games, now faces a quick turnaround before hosting Duke on Saturday.

The game’s pace was measured, with North Carolina using 72 possessions and Florida State 71. The Tar Heels’ offensive rating of 110.5 significantly outpaced the Seminoles’ 93.4, underscoring the efficiency gap between the two teams on this night. North Carolina entered the game as a heavy favorite according to analytics and covered the pregame spread, while the combined score of 145 fell well under the projected total.