By Adam Lucas
There have now been 586 games played in the history of the Dean E. Smith Center. Thanks to Saturday’s 80-62 win over USC Upstate, the Tar Heels have won a healthy 496 of them.
But in all of those 586 contests, there may have never been a day when more people left the building feeling gnawingly old than December 13, 2025. Record that in the building’s history as the day that YouTube star Mr. Beast arrived, and with him came the associated frenzy that accompanies someone who has nearly half a billion subscribers—half a billion!—on YouTube.
The reactions to his appearance were neatly divided into two categories, with age being the primary dividing line. Those in the YouTube generation were extremely excited. Those older than the YouTube generation were perplexed.
As a public service, I visited Mr. Beast’s YouTube channel. The last five videos he has posted are:
100 Pilots Fight for a Private Jet.
World’s Fastest Man vs. Robot.
100 People vs. World’s Biggest Trap!
I Saved 1,000 Animals From Dying.
100 Kids vs. World’s Strongest Man!
Just those five videos combined, which have been on the internet for about two months, have a total of 509 million views.
The 2025 Super Bowl peaked at 137.7 million viewers. The current estimated population of the entire United States is 348 million.
Even if you don’t understand exactly what Mr. Beast’s business is, there is absolutely no doubt that his business is booming. He arrived with approximately three dozen employees, and the screaming that accompanied his every step out of the tunnel was on par with any of the biggest celebrities who have attended a game in Chapel Hill.
The Carolina Basketball world and everything in it is very important to all of us. But Saturday was a reminder that there are even bigger worlds out there. Remember when Dean Smith said a billion people in China didn’t know the Tar Heels were even playing a game? These days, maybe his line would be that 500 million people on YouTube don’t know the game is being played.
After the game, players from both teams lingered in the home tunnel to watch him film his latest escapades for a video that will be posted at some point in the future and doubtless receive at least eight figures worth of viewers. There’s been a lot of talk in sports lately about figuring out your brand. Mr. Beast (82 million Instagram followers) might be one of modern America’s gold standards in this department. Even if you personally had no clue who he was, having him on campus in Chapel Hill mattered.
And he got to see a win. As usual for this season, that was largely because of Caleb Wilson (20 points, 11 rebounds and 76,000 Instagram followers) and Henri Veesaar (14 points, nine rebounds and 1,624 followers). But in a twist on Saturday, it was also due to the play of the Carolina bench.
“The best highlight of the game was James Brown diving on the floor in the second half,” Hubert Davis (118 career wins as a head coach, 12 seasons in the NBA, 47,800 Instagram followers) said on the Tar Heel Sports Network after the game. “I love that. The guys coming off the bench gave us a lift whether they were making a basket or setting a screen or getting a rebound or just that energy you need coming off the bench.”
As Carolina continues to search for consistent depth production, Brown (two points, a rebound and 13,000 followers) was the first sub to report to the scorer’s table. But it was Jonathan Powell (16,000 followers) who tied his career high with 17 points and was also on the floor with Brown for that second half loose ball. He converted three three-point shots and now has a three-pointer in four straight games.
“When one shot goes in, I feel like every shot is going in,” Powell said on the THSN. “I always want to be really aggressive and confident, and my teammates did a great job of finding me in transition and making the extra pass.”
Jaydon Young (15,000 followers) and Derek Dixon (12,300 followers) each swished a three, and the final total of 25 bench points was Carolina’s highest figure in that category since the 39 scored against North Carolina Central a month ago. Remember, as recently as a couple games ago, the bench managed just five points.
It was a game that won’t be especially notable in the overall story of the season but could be important if it signals more consistent reserve production, especially as the Tar Heels draw nearer to the return of Seth Trimble (59,500 followers).
Overall, it was an entertaining, educational, and ultimately productive Saturday at the Smith Center.
Want to see the highlights? You’ll just have to find them on–where else?—YouTube, of course.
