Written by MICHAEL KOH
Caleb Wilson’s injury casts the rest of UNC’s season in a whole new light.
What a bizarre ride it’s been for those tracking Wilson’s health the past few days. The freshman star played undoubtedly his worst game of the season Tuesday night at Miami, and now we know why. Wilson apparently fractured his left hand sometime during the first half. Initial on-site X-rays were negative, and Wilson came back to play in the second half with a heavy wrap on his left wrist and hand. He was clearly limited and frustrated by the injury.
After the game, Hubert Davis wouldn’t even acknowledge an injury had occurred, saying “There’s no situation,” when asked what happened with Wilson.
The Tar Heels discovered the injury after conducting later tests in Chapel Hill and put out a statement Thursday. There’s no timetable for Wilson’s return.
Caleb Wilson now joins an infamous list of high-profile Tar Heel injuries, including Kenny Smith in 1984 and Kendall Marshall in 2012. Ironically, both of those injuries were also to the wrist.
Those two Tar Heel teams had much loftier ceilings than this year’s, but it’s arguable that neither Smith nor Marshall meant as much to their teams as Wilson does. Kenny and Kendall had loaded rosters around them featuring future NBA mainstays. This year, the only other Tar Heel with any NBA buzz is Henri Veesaar, and his draft stock likely took a hit after a lackluster performance at Miami.
Many times this year, Wilson has come to the rescue for his sleepwalking teammates with a thunderous dunk or a scramble for a loose ball. It’s part of what made him so beloved by the Tar Heel fanbase, one which had been hungry for a bona fide star to latch onto.
Who does Carolina turn to for that fire as it heads into the season’s home stretch? One would think UNC would be able to beat woeful Pitt without Wilson, but a visit to NC State next Tuesday suddenly looks much more daunting. And that’s not even mentioning Carolina’s prospects in Cameron Indoor Stadium next month if Wilson is still out of commission.
The program certainly hopes to get Wilson back in time for postseason play in Charlotte and wherever the Tar Heels go after that in March. But the seed UNC will have beside its name on Selection Sunday will likely be a lot lower than it was going to be 48 hours ago.
Featured image via Todd Melet
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