Just when the team was getting back into shape, the North Carolina Tar Heels suffered another irreparable injury. A disastrous injury to their star player, Caleb Wilson, just weeks after his return, has plummeted the team’s hopes and March Madness ceiling.

An ESPN Insider has shed light perfectly on how the injury emerged for Wilson. According to reports, Tar Heels forward Wilson has broken his right thumb during a practice session nearly a month after he suffered a left hand fracture in the Miami game. Speaking on the rare details behind the injury, ESPN senior writer Pete Thamel offered the often-overlooked insights.

“Yesterday, in a North Carolina practice, Caleb Wilson, in a two-on-zero drill, went up to dunk the ball with his right hand, no defender in sight, yet he hit the right thumb on the rim,” he said. “It bothered him, but he still managed to finish practice. Yesterday morning, when his thumb was sore, he went to the UNC training staff, got an X-ray, and they saw a fracture.”

“Suddenly, Caleb Wilson’s season was over, his UNC career was over. He went on and had a successful surgery yesterday. This is a completely different broken hand injury than the one he suffered in his left hand on February 10 against Miami,” Thamel added.

With the season-ending injury, Caleb Wilson has certainly played his final game for the Tar Heels. According to the ESPN mock draft, Wilson will go as the No. 4 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. It’s an emotional moment because a player who carried the team on his shoulders won’t get to see the final dance.

On the other hand, unfortunately, Wilson’s injury has just blurred the team’s chances for a March Madness spot.

In the little time Wilson has played this season, he has averaged 19.8 points per game. He leads the program in four metrics, underscoring his impact on the Tar Heels. The Tar Heels’ bench strength for the National Championships and the ACC Conference Tournament would gradually plummet. But for now, they still have a hurdle to cross in their regular season.

ESPN Analyst Pinpoints UNC’s Chances Against Duke Without Caleb Wilson

While Wilson’s season-ending injury wasn’t enough for the Tar Heels, their next clash is against No. 1 Duke. With the likes of Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans, the game was already a bit of a tightrope walk, but with their trump card out, UNC is in a rough spot going into their final game of the regular season.

ESPN’s college basketball reporter Jeff Borzello shared a brief on how Wilson’s absence could impact the Tar Heels on the court during their recent conversation.

“Without Wilson, it’s hard to see where Carolina has the advantage on Duke,” Borzello said. “The Tar Heels have improved defensively in recent weeks, but they’re still susceptible to teams that can get hot from the perimeter.”

“Duke isn’t a high-volume perimeter team, but it has a slew of shooters, and it combines that 3-point ability with the best offensive rebounding and most efficient 2-point offense in the country,” he further added.

Jon Scheyer’s side has scored just 35.5% from deep this season. It isn’t an awe-inspiring number, considering that it doesn’t even rank within the top 50. But they have used this perimeter shooting strategically, combining it with field goal shooting, where they have scored at an impressive 49.9% per game.

Thus, with this two-way expertise, the UNC defense will have to be on its toes. Eventually, a lot of it will fall on Henri Veesaar due to Wilson’s injury. Veesaar himself had missed a couple of games in February. But since his return, he has been quite impressive. Even in the last game against the Clemson Tigers, the center contributed 13 points to lead his team to a win.

The matchup is set to tip off on Sunday, March 7, at the Cameron Indoor Stadium.