The North Carolina Tar Heels are coming off a massive win over Louisville on Monday without their star Caleb Wilson. Wilson has been out with a fractured hand and is inching closer to a return to the court. Find out if Wilson is going to be back on the court for the Tar Heels today against Virginia Tech.
Will Caleb Wilson Play Against Virginia Tech?
Wilson will not play against the Hokies today, but he is gearing up to return sooner rather than later. In fact, he is planning to be back next weekend for the biggest rivalry in college basketball.
He is targeting a return against Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 7. He was special against the Blue Devils in the first meeting and wants to be back to do it again.
The Tar Heels could use Wilson before the ACC Tournament, but bringing him back too soon could ruin their hopes of a deep March Madness run. While the Duke game is right before the ACC Tournament, a win against Duke could make their case for a higher seed much stronger. They’ll need Wilson to get past the powerhouse Blue Devils that are running rampant on opponents right now.
Wilson has averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game over 24 games so far. He leads the team in all four of these categories. Wilson is the man for this squad, and while other players like Seth Trimble, Henri Veesaar, and Luka Bogavac have stepped up, this team needs Wilson to compete with the best in the world.
In Wilson’s absence, the Tar Heels have gone 3-1 with a huge victory over No. 24 Louisville. They did lose the game against Miami, where Wilson went down, but other than that and the blowout loss to NC State, they’ve weathered the storm quite well.
UNC may have dispatched a good Louisville squad, but they cannot take this Virginia Tech squad lightly. The Hokies are fighting for their bubble hopes, and a win against a ranked opponent like the Tar Heels could be the win that pushes them into the field. They are a well-balanced team with five players averaging double-digit points, spearheaded by forward Amani Hansberry.
Beyond what a win would do for a desperate Virginia Tech team is what a loss would do for the Tar Heels. In terms of seeding in March Madness, it would hurt, but wouldn’t be catastrophic. But for the ACC Tournament, a loss to the Hokies would put the Tar Heels in grave danger of finishing in the No. 5-8 seeds, which would only earn them a single bye rather than a double bye.
UNC doesn’t want a harder path through the ACC Tournament, that’s for sure. The ACC has plenty of talented squads, and they need the easiest path possible to boost their chances of winning it. At least they’ll be expecting Wilson back to help lead their team when the games matter the most.
