North Carolina star true freshman Caleb Wilson will miss the remainder of the season after breaking his right thumb in a recent practice while dunking, the school announced Friday, March 6.
Wilson broke his thumb March 5 and will need surgery, according to the announcement. The projected top 2026 NBA Draft pick is expected to be cleared for the pre-draft process.
The 6-foot-10 standout injured his left hand against Miami on Feb. 10 and was aiming to return for North Carolina’s season finale against archrival Duke on March 7. UNC went 5-1 without Wilson, its leading scorer this season.
Wilson’s injury is a huge blow to North Carolina’s NCAA Tournament chances. The Tar Heels, projected as a No. 5 seed in USA TODAY Sports’ latest bracketology update, have won 10 of their past 12 games after losing three of their first five conference games.
Caleb Wilson NBA draft projection
Wilson is projected to go No. 4 overall to the Indiana Pacers in the 2026 NBA Draft, according to USA TODAY Sports’ latest mock draft. Only BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and Duke’s Cameron Boozer were projected to go higher than Wilson.
Caleb Wilson stats
Here are Wilson’s per-game averages from the 2025-26 season, his first in college:
2025-26 (24 starts in 24 games): 19.8 points with 9.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 57.8% shooting. 1.4 blocks and 1.5 assists per game.