Three days after picking up a stunning win over Duke at the buzzer at home, disaster struck for the North Carolina men’s basketball team. In a game at Miami, the Tar Heels lost star freshman Caleb Wilson to a fractured hand. That compounded things in a 75-66 loss to the Hurricanes.
Already basically a lock for the NCAA Tournament, UNC was hoping to survive a stretch without Wilson and, hopefully, get him back before mid-March. In his absence, the Tar Heels have gone 4-1 and now could be getting the 6-foot-10 power forward back quicker than they originally thought.
North Carolina Coach Hubert Davis Gives Big Caleb Wilson Update
North Carolina picked up their fourth win without Wilson on Saturday night with an 89-82 victory over a scrappy Virginia Tech team at home. As has been the case in Wilson’s absence, the Tar Heels got a balanced scoring effort to take down the Hokies. After the game, head coach Hubert Davis gave a big update on his star, who could be back sooner rather than later.
“He doesn’t have his cast on anymore,” said Davis. “He can’t do anything five-on-five, but he can do individual workouts, he can dribble, shoot — he can do everything, just nothing on contact.”
Now, it should be pointed out that Davis didn’t give a timeframe for Wilson’s return. However, the veteran coach did go on to say that Wilson has been dribbling, shooting, and catching passes without limitations. However, he has yet to scrimmage five-on-five. You figure that would be the next step in his chance to get cleared to return to the lineup.
“He’s moving in the right direction,” Davis said. “He worked out the day before the game, and just was dribbling, shooting, catching, like normal.”
North Carolina’s NCAA Tournament Hopes Are Based on Caleb Wilson’s Return
North Carolina has two regular-season games remaining before the ACC Tournament in Charlotte next week. The Tar Heels will host Clemson on Tuesday night, then visit Duke on Saturday night. At stake over the final two games is a double-bye for UNC in the conference tournament.
Seeding for the ACC Tournament is crucial for the Tar Heels. They are 11-5, tied with Clemson, Tuesday night’s opponent. The winner will likely have the inside track to the fourth seed and a double bye. Both teams are a game behind Miami for third-place, but the Hurricanes hold the tiebreaker over North Carolina.
Although there is no timeframe for Wilson’s return, it wouldn’t be surprising if it comes at Duke. You always want to be cautious with a player coming back from a fractured hand. UNC is a different team with Wilson in the lineup.
There is still a lot in play for Davis and the Tar Heels over the next two weeks. They can continue to climb a seed line or two for the NCAA Tournament. For them to be a threat to the top teams, they need Wilson. If he doesn’t come back against Duke, then getting him some time in the ACC Tournament is likely to happen.
North Carolina Coach Hubert Davis Gives Huge Caleb Wilson Injury Update