Social media reacts to UNC's second-half comeback win over Kentucky

If you stayed up past your bedtime Tuesday night, you likely witnessed another instant classic between the UNC and Kentucky basketball programs.

The Tar Heels and Wildcats entered halftime deadlocked at 31, only for the Wildcats to quickly out-play the Tar Heels. North Carolina never wavered, despite facing a 6-point deficit late, using a combination of strong defense and timely shots to keep itself in the game.

On a deep roster loaded with talent, freshman point guard Derek Dixon took over for UNC. Dixon scored five of the Tar Heels' final six points, leading them to a clutch, 67-64 victory.

A season ago, North Carolina (7-1) lacked quality victories needed for a convincing, NCAA Tournament case. Just three days into December, UNC has TWO big wins: one over Kansas, now another one against Kentucky (5-3).

The Tar Heels suffered through several empty possessions in the second half, but their suffocating defense held the Wildcats nearly 11 minutes without a field goal. North Carolina emerged with one final defensive stop, intercepting Kentucky's full-court heave in the closing seconds.

Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, once again, anchored UNC with a pair of double-doubles. Wilson scored 15 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, while Veesaar collected 10 rebounds and led all scorers with 17 points.

The Tar Heels still need to fix their perimeter shooting woes (6-of-20, 30 percent), but Dixon and Luka Bogavac nailed a pair of clutch threes late. Bogavac gave North Carolina a 61-59 advantage, while Dixon gave UNC a 64-62 lead.

As you can imagine, social media had plenty to say about Tuesday's nightcap. Take a look at several reactions below:

Celebrating another win over Big Blue

Derek Dixon's late three for your viewing pleasure

Hang it in the Louvre

PG of the future?

Initial postgame thoughts

HUGE!

A big win for the ACC as a whole

Will Kyan Evans start any future games?

Debating how big Tuesday's win is

Don't mess with the Tar Heels!

Yeah...they did that!

Two Dukies on the call for another UNC game? No thanks.

Henri Veesaar was huge down the stretch

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball: Social media reactions to comeback win over Kentucky