North Carolina will begin their NCAA Tournament journey on Thursday with a first-round matchup against VCU. Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels coming into the Big Dance vulnerable and without Caleb Wilson. The star freshman broke his wrist during a loss to Miami on Feb. 10 and returned with a cast to later suffer a broken thumb on his opposite hand.
The five-star now watches his first NCAA Tournament go by without him in the lineup. However, Wilson ultimately earned him AP Second Team All-American honors. The news guarantees he will become the 54th UNC Basketball player to have his jersey hang in the rafters at Chapel Hill’s Dean E. Smith Center.
The Atlanta native, averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game in his debut season. He also had 17 games with more than 20 points and 11 double-doubles for the Tar Heels.
While many believe Wilson is headed to the NBA, he’s projected to be a mid-to-late first round pick. Staying in school another year could boost him in a packed field, including BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cam Boozer, and Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr.
North Carolina’s matchup against VCU will tip off at 6:50 p.m. ET on Thursday.
