With the First Four concluding on Wednesday night, 32 of the 64 national championship hopefuls are preparing to compete in the Round of 64 on Thursday.
North Carolina is among the teams in action on Thursday, as the sixth-seeded ACC program is slated to face the Atlantic 10 Tournament champions, VCU (11th seed), at 6:50 p.m. in Greenville, South Carolina (South region).
Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, they’ll be without their superstar forward, Caleb Wilson.
Why Caleb Wilson isn’t playing for UNC today in the NCAA Tournament vs. VCU with injury news
Wilson suffered a left-hand fracture in early February. Still, with the NCAA Tournament not being slated to start for another month, there was hope that the future lottery pick would be active when March Madness arrived. That hope vanished when Wilson broke his right thumb during an early March practice and was later ruled out for the remainder of the 2025-26 college basketball season.
Wilson, known for his high-level two-way instincts, ball tracking ability in lob/rebounding situations, defensive versatility, and graceful athleticism, was enjoying a standout season with the Tar Heels before his season-ending thumb injury.
The Atlanta, Georgia native averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game in 24 games, shooting 57.8% from the field. Without Wilson, North Carolina will have their hands full against a VCU squad that’s formidable from beyond the arc (36.7% three-point shooting percentage) and has the backcourt speed necessary to apply instant pressure on opposing defenses.
Simply put, the Tar Heels could be one-and- done in this year’s rendition of the NCAA Tournament.
