Caleb Wilson’s UNC basketball career is over, the school announced on Friday, March 6.
The star freshman broke his right thumb while dunking in a non-contact drill on Thursday, March 5, that will require season-ending surgery. It comes after he missed the last six of the Tar Heels’ games with a fractured left wrist he suffered in UNC’s loss to Miami on Feb. 10. The 6-foot-10 forward is one of the nation’s leaders in dunks per Bart Torvik.
It’s a blow as the Tar Heels, who have gone 5-1 without Wilson, prepare for their regular-season finale against No. 1 Duke on Saturday, March 7 and the postseason.
The Atlanta, Georgia native was cleared for individual workouts last week and was working toward making his way back into the lineup. He is UNC’s leading scorer (19.8 ppg) and rebounder (9.4 rpg) and was named a two-time National Player of the Week and three-time ACC Freshman of the Week.
Caleb Wilson injury update
Hubert Davis spoke with the media prior to Thursday’s practice, saying Wilson was “progressing” and had “been doing individual workouts,” but hadn’t yet been cleared for 5-on-5 practice. That was before Wilson suffered his season-ending injury.
“He’ll do more (Thursday),” Davis said. “Other than that, I don’t have any other additional information.”
Wilson is a projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Wilson is expected to be cleared during the NBA pre-draft process.
UNC and Duke tip off at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night from Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Tar Heels are looking to sweep the regular-season series with the Blue Devils following their 71-68 win on Feb. 7 at the Smith Center, where Wilson scored a team-high 23 points with four rebounds. Duke coach Jon Scheyer was asked about Wilson on Thursday, March 5, and how his status could shift the Blue Devils’ game plan.
“Obviously, he’s a really good player, had a really good first game against us. I think, ultimately, for us, it can’t change our game plan in terms of what our defensive focus is,” Scheyer said. “… Look at their record without him. They’ve done a great job, they’re really good.”
The Tar Heels earned a double-bye at the upcoming ACC tournament, where they are a No. 4 seed. They will get things started in Charlotte on Thursday, March 12 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
