By R.L. Bynum
Caleb Wilson has circled this one on his calendar for months and expects No. 12 North Carolina to dominate.
Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta isn’t just another game for the freshman star. The 3 p.m. matchup with Ohio State is a homecoming and a chance to prove the Tar Heels belong among the nation’s elite.
State Farm Arena is about 15 miles from Holy Innocents Episcopal School, which Wilson led to a 27–4 record and a state title last season while earning Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Georgia.
“I think it’ll be fun,” Wilson said. “Honestly, it’s a game I definitely have circled on my calendar, like a nice way to come home and be able to show people what I can do.”
The college basketball world is already well aware of what he can do, and so are the opponents, who are double-teaming him and making him work for his points.
But that has led Wilson to draw numerous fouls each game (eight in Tuesday’s 77–58 victory over East Tennessee State). He’s on a streak of 11 consecutive games making at least five free throws (second only in program history to 12 in a row by Bobby Lewis, Pete Brennan and Lennie Rosenbluth).
UNC enters the matchup riding a four-game winning streak, but the last two came against mid-major opponents. Wilson knows Ohio State presents a different challenge, led by another player making this a homecoming game in senior guard Bruce Thornton, who is from nearby Fairburn, Ga.
“I feel like it’s going to be a great test,” he said. “They have a really good guard in Bruce Thornton. I took a visit there last year, so I’m kind of familiar with what they do and what their approach is.”
Thornton, the Buckeyes’ leading scorer, has Wilson’s full attention.
“If he gets hot, it’s really hard to stop him, and he’s like a bowling ball going downhill,” said Wilson, who leads UNC in scoring (19.5 points per game), rebounding average (10.4) and steals (16). “So, just got to put your body in front of him. And also, they have another guard, John Mobley, he can shoot the ball very well. So, just got to keep a hand in his face.”
Wilson believes the Tar Heels’ athleticism gives them an edge.
“They’re a big team, but I feel like we’re more athletic, we’re faster, we have more perimeter size,” he said. “I feel like we should dominate the game, just kind of taking possession by possession.”
That confidence comes despite some uneven starts in recent games. UNC has struggled to impose its will early, something Wilson says must change.
“Sometimes I feel like we are allowing the other team to impose their will on us, instead of imposing our own on the other team to start the game,” he said. “When you start the game, like, this is our game.”
Those last two games were at home against overmatched mid-major teams, which won’t be the case Saturday. Wilson expects the energy to be different in Atlanta.
“I haven’t been back to my home city in a minute, so I’m definitely excited to be there, and I think the crowd would be great,” he said. “We’ll be playing a great team.”
For Wilson, the stakes are clear: a marquee matchup, a national stage and a chance to show that UNC’s recent dominance wasn’t just a product of the schedule.
“I feel like once we get into understanding exactly what we have to do to win, it’s gonna be over with,” he said. “That’s why I feel like sometimes we have a slow start. It’s not solely based off energy. It’s just knowing and understanding what the team is trying to do.”
Expect intensity from the start on Saturday.
Photo by Joshua Lawton
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