There is no former Duke student in the world with a higher affinity for North Carolina than Jay Williams. He led a Tar Heel chant on College GameDay earlier this season, for crying out loud. On this week’s GameDay, though, he was singing a more somber tune about his former rival following news of Caleb Wilson’s hand injury.
When asked how Wilson’s absence could impact North Carolina, Williams told Rece Davis that he is concerned about the team moving forward.
“I’m worried about them… Caleb Wilson was the definitive character for this team. He was their DNA. He was their attitude,” Williams said. “Sometimes they play well, sometimes they don’t. Without him on the court, I don’t know which team is going to show up.”
Williams admitted the Tar Heels looked like they “could make a run” when they beat Duke. However, he believes they resembled a team “that could be out the first weekend” when they lost to Miami.
Wilson leads North Carolina in points, rebounds, blocks, and steals. He is undeniably the biggest cog in their engine. Losing him will make life difficult for the Tar Heels, especially with road games at NC State and Syracuse next week. Fortunately, they get a home game versus a struggling Pittsburgh team Saturday to try and sort out their rotation for the challenges ahead. Tip for the Pitt-UNC matchup is 2:00 p.m. E.T. (ESPN).
