Freshman forward Caleb Wilson, North Carolina’s leading scorer and rebounder, is out indefinitely with a fractured left hand, the program announced Thursday.
An evaluation process is ongoing to determine the timetable for Wilson’s return.
Wilson suffered the injury in the first half of UNC’s 75-66 loss to Miami on Tuesday. In-game X-rays were negative, allowing Wilson to return for the second half with his hand heavily wrapped; he finished the game with 12 points — his fewest in any contest this season — and six rebounds and three blocks.
Asked postgame about Wilson’s hand, UNC coach Hubert Davis said there was no situation, “not to my knowledge.”
Wilson, a top-10 recruit in the 2025 class, has been a revelation for the Tar Heels this season. His 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game have been critical to No. 11 North Carolina going 19-5 and being ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll the entirety of the season. Wilson has also set UNC freshman records by scoring in double figures every game and by scoring at least 20 points on 17 different occasions.
Wilson earned co-ACC Rookie of the Week honors last week — his third such honor this season — after leading UNC to a last-second win over rival Duke on Saturday. The 6-foot-9 freshman had a team-high 23 points against the Blue Devils, plus four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
Wilson is a projected top-five pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft.
In Wilson’s absence, junior forward Jarin Stevenson — who has started 16 games this season, although primarily on the wing next to Wilson and center Henri Veesaar — should elevate into the starting lineup. Stevenson has been more effective the last several games as a backup big man, rather than as a jumbo-sized wing, although he’s far from the polished scorer Wilson is. Sophomore forward Zayden High should see more than the 5.3 minutes per game he has to date, primarily as a body when UNC’s bigs have been in foul trouble.
It’s also worth wondering if Davis will play more small ball, like he was forced to last season with UNC’s dearth of post players. Sophomore wing Jonathan Powell, for example, is only 6 feet 6 and 191 pounds, but is a strong positional rebounder with the ability to defend stronger, longer opponents. But the reality is, there is simply no replacing Wilson’s productivity or consistency, especially this late in the regular season.