North Carolina star Caleb Wilson will miss the remainder of the season after breaking his right thumb during a non-contact drill in practice on Thursday, the school announced on Friday. Wilson was recovering from a left-hand fracture suffered during the first half of the Tar Heels’ 75-66 road loss against Miami last month, and there was optimism he could be returning soon.
Wilson, who is a top-five projected pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, ends his freshman season averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists. In his final game against Miami, he scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds in 26 minutes of action.
The 19.8 points per game Wilson averaged is the most all-time by a North Carolina freshman. Wilson scored at least 20 points in 17 games this season, which is also a program record for a freshman. Wilson also finished with 11 double-doubles in 24 games.
Since Wilson’s injury, UNC has gone 5-1, with the lone loss during that stretch coming against NC State on the road. Since that loss, the Tar Heels have won four consecutive games and are in position to earn a double-bye in next week’s ACC Tournament.
UNC faces rival Duke in its final game of the regular season on Saturday.
Who steps up for UNC?
With Wilson out, the focus will shift back to the frontcourt. Wilson is by far UNC’s most talented player, so others will have to step up if the Tar Heels want to make a run in March. Since Wilson’s injury, North Carolina has been starting Jarin Stevenson and Henri Veesaar in the frontcourt.
Stevenson, a transfer from Alabama, is averaging 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 25 minutes per game. During his first two seasons with the Crimson Tide, Stevenson averaged just under 19 minutes per game and made 27 starts in his career. This season at UNC, Stevenson has started 22 games and has found a more consistent role.
The good news for North Carolina is that Stevenson has stepped up in big moments on the biggest stage in the sport. In 2024, Stevenson came off the bench and scored 19 points in Alabama’s win over Clemson in the Elite Eight. Stevenson’s best game this season came right after Wilson’s injury when he scored a season-high 19 points in a win over Pitt.
Entering the weekend, UNC was a No. 6 seed in CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology projections. A run in March is still possible, but the ceiling of what UNC can do is much lower without Wilson in the lineup. Another name that will be asked to do more on the offensive end is Seth Trimble, who doubles as UNC’s best defender. He missed time earlier this season after a freak weight room accident that caused him to miss over a month.
Wilson’s NBA Draft outlook
Coming into the season, there was a clear “Big Three” with Duke’s Cameron Boozer, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson competing for the right to go No. 1 this summer. However, after Wilson’s strong start to the season, he started knocking on the door of jumping into Tier 1.
Despite this injury/setback, Wilson should still be entrenched as the No. 4-ranked prospect behind that “Big Three.” The sportbooks agree, too. Wilson is tied for the fourth-best odds (100/1) with Houston’s Kingston Flemings and Illinois Keaton Wagler to go No. 1 in the draft, per FanDuel. Peterson (+100) is the current favorite, with Dybantsa (+120) not far behind.
There are numerous traits to love about Wilson as a prospect. He is a hyper-athletic, jump-out-of-the-gym forward who fits the modern profile of an NBA forward. Wilson’s calling card was his ability to finish around the rim with dunks. He ranked fifth (67 dunks) among all Division I players, per barttorvik.com, in that department.
One current NBA player that comes to mind when thinking of draft comparisons is Indiana Pacers All-Star forward Pascal Siakam. Wilson is the No. 4-ranked player in CBS Sports NBA Draft Prospect Rankings.