Following its brutal loss to NC State, North Carolina is hoping to receive key reinforcements for its next outing against Syracuse. While Caleb Wilson remains out, the Tar Heels are hoping to have center Henri Veesaar back from a lower-body injury.
As of Friday afternoon, Veesaar remains questionable to end a two-game injury absence, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported. Neither Wilson nor Veesaar has played since Feb. 10.
Wilson remains out indefinitely with a fractured hand, though he continues to hint at an early return before the end of the regular season. Veesaar has taken his injury game by game and will likely remain questionable until hours before tip-off.
Even with Wilson remaining out, North Carolina desperately needs Veesaar back on the court. The Arizona transfer has been one of the best centers in the country and is second on the team with 16.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Veesaar leads the team with a 44.8 percent three-point clip.
North Carolina has struggled in its last two games without two of the best big men in college basketball. The Tar Heels dominated Pittsburgh in their first game sans Wilson and Veesaar but were punched in the mouth by their in-state rivals.
North Carolina could only muster 58 points against NC State without its two leading scorers in a 24-point blowout loss. Junior forward Jarin Stevenson and sophomore center Zayden High, who have started the last two games, led them with just 13 points apiece as the only players in double figures. Seth Trimble, who is the team's third-leading scorer on the year, only managed four points in the defeat.
With just two weeks remaining in the 2025-2026 college basketball regular season, North Carolina can ill afford another loss to Syracuse. The Tar Heels still have massive matchups against Louisville, Clemson and a season-finale rematch with Duke.
