North Carolina star forward Caleb Wilson will be out for an unspecified amount of time with a hand injury. The freshman phenom has no specific timetable for his return, with just seven games remaining in the regular season.
Wilson has been diagnosed with a hand fracture, ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported on Thursday. He sprained his wrist in North Carolina's recent loss to Miami, and it was not reported whether the two injuries are connected.
While Wilson's recovery timeline remains uncertain, athletes with similar injuries typically return within one to two months. Depending on the severity of his injury, Wilson could miss the remainder of his freshman season.
Wilson's injury is a huge loss for North Carolina down the stretch of the regular season. The 19-year-old leads the team with 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game while appearing in each of the Tar Heels' first 24 games of the year. Wilson is currently a top-10 Karl Malone Award finalist, given to the nation's best power forward, with the eighth-best odds to win the 2026 Wooden Award.
Although North Carolina is currently No. 11 in the AP poll, its 7-4 ACC record is just seventh in the conference. The Tar Heels have massive games against NC State, Louisville and a crucial rematch with No. 4 Duke before the regular season ends, which they will have to navigate without Wilson.
While the Tar Heels have all but secured their place in the NCAA Tournament, their national championship outlook would take a significant hit if Wilson is unable to return to the court.
Even if his season is over, Wilson is still a projected top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He is viewed by many as the fourth-best prospect of the class behind the leading trio of Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer.
