North Carolina star Caleb Wilson has played his last basketball for the Tar Heels.
Wilson has been rehabbing a left hand injury that he suffered back in February but had not been cleared to play when Hubert Davis spoke to reporters on Thursday. However, during a non-contact drill at practice on Thursday, ESPN’s Shams Charania says Wilson broke his right thumb.
That injury will necessitate season-ending surgery, per ESPN:
This is a devastating blow for North Carolina‘s NCAA Tournament aspirations. Wilson was UNC’s best player this season, averaging 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game before going down with an injury on Feb. 10.
In addition to his scoring and rebounding, Wilson is an excellent defender at the forward position and certainly would have had an impact on both sides of the floor for the Tar Heels if he was healthy.
Instead, North Carolina will face rival Duke on Saturday and then prepare for the postseason without Wilson in the lineup. Since Wilson’s injury, North Carolina has been the No. 33 team in the country by adjusted efficiency rating, per BartTorvik.
UNC and Duke will battle at 6:30 p.m. ET in Durham on Saturday.
Here’s the latest odds on Kalshi for Sweet 16 qualifiers:
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
