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By Cole Sullivan
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The No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels managed to stay afloat over the last few weeks while star freshman Caleb Wilson recovered from a left-hand injury. He was cleared late last week to resume basketball activities, with hopes of returning in time for both the ACC and NCAA tournaments later this month.
However, devastating news emerged Friday — just over 24 hours before the team’s regular-season finale against the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils — as the program revealed Wilson suffered a broken thumb on his right hand while dunking during practice.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Wilson already undergone season-ending surgery and is expected to be cleared during the NBA pre-draft process.
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This comes at the worst possible time for a Tar Heels team hoping to make some noise in March. Without Wilson, that task becomes significantly more challenging, considering he leads the team in both points and rebounds this season.
He averages 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game while also being named a two-time National Player of the Week and a three-time ACC Freshman of the Week this season.
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Now with Wilson’s career in Chapel Hill likely over as a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA draft, it begs the question of who will step up in his continued absence down the stretch of the season.
From a production standpoint, the Tar Heels will likely lean on Seth Trimble, Henri Veesaar, and Luka Bogavac to provide the bulk of the offense.
More news: Duke’s Cameron Boozer Shares Strong Message Before NCAA Tournament
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