Caleb Wilson 'creates a lot of problems' as true star for UNC: 'Really good player.'

Once upon a time, Collin Chandler viewed Caleb Wilson as a potential future teammate at Kentucky, joining the former five-star for part of his recruiting visit to Lexington and getting to know him as a high school kid figuring out his next steps.

He didn’t pay too much attention to the twists and turns of that one that saw him ultimately land at North Carolina — Chandler was too focused on his own freshman campaign as a Wildcat — but he liked what he heard and saw from the prized prospect.

“I know Caleb a little bit. When he was visiting here I was there going to dinner and stuff with him. So I got to know him a little bit,” Chandler said when previewing the Tar Heels on Monday. “… I’m not great at keeping up with the recruiting and everything that’s going on with it, but it was a great visit. He’s a good kid, and we had a good time.”

His choice to wear Carolina blue is above Chandler’s pay grade — “I don’t know exactly (what happened), I haven’t talked to him about exactly what happened,” he said — but what is the sophomore guard’s responsibility is being part of a defensive unit that somehow, some way slows down the 6’10”, 215-pound forward from Atlanta currently averaging 19.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks in 28.3 minutes per contest.

That goes for everyone on the team with Wilson at the very tip-top of the scouting report for the Wildcats.

“He’s a dangerous downhill driver, and he’s so long. That creates a lot of problems,” Chandler said of the star Tar Heel. “It’s just going to be, who can step in and stop him before he gets to the hoop, which is a lot harder than maybe you can make it sound. He’s a good player, he plays fast. He’s long.”

“North Carolina is just really good at getting downhill, playing through their athletic bigs. Caleb Wilson, he draws a lot of fouls,” Otega Oweh added. “… Just super high motivation (for the matchup). He plays very physically, very aggressive. He’s averaging 10 boards too, so you’re going to have to really hit and go get.”

Wilson currently grades out as very good or excellent in every major offensive and defensive category, according to Synergy Sports, scoring 1.185 points per possession on one end and allowing just 0.763 on the other. In a 2025 high school class full of Diaper Dandies, he’s in the top tier this season.

And as a former serious Kentucky target — it was one or the other getting it across the finish line last winter — he’ll have something to prove in the building he nearly called home.

The Wildcats know the challenge that comes with all of it, but they feel they’ll be ready when the ball is tipped (very) late Tuesday evening in Lexington.

“Caleb Wilson, he’s been a problem for a lot of teams that they play,” Chandler said. “And so we’re ready for him, and what he brings. He brings a lot.”

He’s a good player, a really good player,” Oweh added.

Maybe the biggest individual test for Kentucky this season after failing the first two team tests to open the year.