UNC’s Caleb Wilson out remainder of season after thumb surgeryShams Charania
North Carolina freshman standout Caleb Wilson will miss the remainder of the season after breaking his right thumb during Thursday’s practice while dunking the basketball, the school revealed on Friday.
Sources tell ESPN that Wilson has already had surgery and is expected to be cleared during the NBA predraft process, where he’ll compete to be the No. 1 pick in June’s draft.
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Wilson, who had missed the previous six games after injuring his left, non-shooting hand in a Feb. 10 loss at Miami, was “progressing” toward a return to play, according to coach Hubert Davis, before this just in injury occurred in Thursday’s practice.
North Carolina is 5-1 without Wilson, a 6-foot-10 NBA prospect who averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds this season.
The Tar Heels (24-6, 12-5) are already locked into the No. 4 seed at next week’s ACC tournament. They’ll take on No. 1 Duke on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the regular-season finale for the ACC rivals.
Duke (28-2, 16-1) has won seven straight since the Feb. 7 loss at UNC, including a neutral-court win against then-No. 1 Michigan and last weekend’s 26-point win against now-No. 13 Virginia.
