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Caleb Wilson injury update: Hubert Davis reveals update following season-ending surgery

Danby: Daniel Hager03/07/26DanielHagerOn3

North Carolina star freshman Caleb Wilson broke his right thumb in a non-contact drill in practice on Thursday and swiftly underwent season ending surgery, ending his sensational freshman campaign. The program announced the news on Friday.

Wilson had not played for the Tar Heels since suffering a fractured left hand in North Carolina’s 75-66 loss to Miami on Feb. 10. The Atlanta native averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 24 games this season.

Prior to Carolina’s game against No. 1 Duke on Saturday, head coach Hubert Davis gave some insight into how Wilson is feeling post-surgery.

“He’s doing great,” Davis said. “I’ll tell you a quick story. When it was the decision to have surgery, the first question Caleb asked was ‘can I make it to the game tomorrow?’ It just broke my heart. I’ve talked at great length about how special he is to me, us, and this program. Not just as a player, but as a person and teammate.

“He has the passion to be on the floor with his teammates, and he always dreamed of playing in big games like this, the ACC (Tournament), and the NCAA Tournament. That’s the sad part. The good part is that he’s still apart of our team, and he’s in our locker room. He’s jumping around on the bench. We’ll feel his energy on the floor.”

Caleb Wilson’s absence serves as massive blow for North Carolina as NCAA Tournament approaches

In Wilson’s absence, North Carolina is 5-1 over its past six games. Those five wins, however, came against four unranked opponents and No. 24 Louisville. Saturday’s regular season finale against No. 1 Duke will certainly be an uphill battle, as the Blue Devils are 7-0 since their Feb. 7 loss to Carolina with an average margin of victory of 24.3 points per game.

The injury serves as a brutal blow for North Carolina, which was expecting Wilson back on the court in time for the NCAA Tournament. His injury will force center Henri Veesaar, guard Seth Trimble, and guard Luka Bogavac (Carolina’s other three leading scorers) to assume the absence of Wilson’s 19.8 points per game.

Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the Tar Heels sit at 24-6 (12-5) and are projected as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament in On3’s latest Bracketology.