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Myron Medcalf
Multiple Authors
One week after suffering a fractured left hand, North Carolina star Caleb Wilson is learning to play with a cast on his non-shooting hand and is inching toward returning “soon,” coach Hubert Davis said.
Davis said Wilson, who suffered the injury in a loss to Miami on Feb. 10, has been a supportive teammate as the No. 16 Tar Heels make their push toward Selection Sunday.
“Caleb, he is great,” Davis said Monday night on his semiweekly radio show. “I think if I said ‘OK,’ I think he would play with his cast on or his splint. I think he would. He’s just champing at the bit to come back because obviously he loves to play, but he loves his teammates and he loves playing here.”
Added Davis: “He’ll be back on the floor soon, so that’ll be great.”
Wilson, who is averaging 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds, has set a UNC freshman record by scoring in double figures in all 24 games he’s played this season. Before the Miami loss, he scored 23 points in UNC’s home win over rival Duke on Feb. 7.
Wilson, a projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA draft per ESPN, left the game against Miami after suffering the injury before returning in the second half. He scored just 12 points, his lowest output of the season.
Davis said they didn’t know the severity of the injury until the team returned to Chapel Hill and an MRI revealed the fracture.
The university on Thursday said Wilson is out “indefinitely.”
Davis said Wilson is already in practice hoping to come back soon. He credited the freshman with avoiding a “woe is me” attitude and instead being focused on supporting his team.
“He did the exact opposite,” Davis said. “He’s in practice. He’s dribbling with his right hand. He’s in the huddles.”
Prior to Wilson’s injury, North Carolina was ranked ninth in adjusted offensive efficiency since Jan. 3, according to barttorvik.com. The win over Duke capped a five-game winning streak for a UNC team that was biting its nails on Selection Sunday last year but should avoid a similar fate this year, depending on Wilson’s status.
UNC defeated Pitt 79-65 on Saturday without both Wilson and standout Henri Veesaar. Davis said he watched the film of that game and praised Wilson’s demeanor on the sideline, which he said gave his team a boost in a game with a shorthanded roster.
North Carolina’s slate includes four upcoming matchups against top-35 KenPom teams, including a rematch with Duke in Durham on March 7 in the regular-season finale for both teams.
“You will not have a better player, person and teammate than Caleb,” Davis said. “It’s just impossible. There is just no way you can do it. What a great example of when things weren’t particularly going his way in regards to his hand, he’s still a great teammate.”
