UNC freshman forward Caleb Wilson out for season with broken thumb

Shelby Swanson, The News & Observer (Raleigh) on Mar 6, 2026

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Caleb Wilson’s freshman season at UNC has come to an abrupt end.

The school announced Friday afternoon that Wilson broke his right thumb during a non-contact drill in practice on Thursday. The injury requires surgery and Wilson will miss the rest of the season, per UNC. ESPN first reported the news.

Wilson was injured while attempting a dunk during practice, according to UNC. The setback comes roughly three weeks after he broke a bone in his left hand during UNC’s game at Miami on Feb. 10, an injury that sidelined him for the Tar Heels’ last six games.

The Atlanta native had recently been cleared for individual workouts and was working toward a return to the lineup before sustaining the new injury on Thursday. As previously reported by the N&O, Wilson himself had been targeting a return from his fractured left hand in time to play Duke on Saturday.

“It’s the biggest game in your life,” Wilson said ahead of the Tar Heels’ Feb. 7 matchup with the Blue Devils. “I think it’s gonna be fun. Honestly, I really don’t care about the crowd. I mean, me personally, I’m really excited to go play at Duke too. I like to be the villain in games. And I just think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Speaking to the media on Thursday, just before the team’s practice that afternoon, UNC coach Hubert Davis said Wilson was “progressing” in his recovery and didn’t rule out his return for Saturday’s contest in Durham.

All of that changed within a matter of hours, with Wilson suffering his second hand injury of the year — this one season-ending.

In a college basketball season dominated by high-level freshman play, Wilson has been one of the nation’s most productive first-year players. He led UNC with 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, breaking multiple UNC freshman records in the process. Wilson was named National Player of the Week twice and named ACC Freshman of the Week three times.

“Caleb is a huge piece for us (and) extremely talented,” Davis said on his radio show earlier this week. “There’s stats and where he leads us, but his personality, presence in the locker room, on the bench, in the huddle is even more than that. This is a really close, tight-knit team, and a number of guys have raised their game to put us in a position to still be competitive and to still win games.”

The Tar Heels (24-6, 12-5 ACC) have already secured a double-bye in the ACC Tournament and will play in the quarterfinals at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, March 12 in Charlotte.

UNC closes the regular season Saturday on the road against No. 1 Duke. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium.