By R.L. Bynum
GREENVILLE, S.C. — The news didn’t arrive gradually or gently. One moment, Caleb Wilson was expecting to be back for the Duke game. The next moment, everything about his season changed.
The day before his long-awaited chance to play in Cameron Indoor Stadium, he found out that the right thumb he had hurt dunking in practice the day before was broken, and his season was over.
“It was a tough day, but all I can do is move on. Really sad,” said Wilson, who will be cheering hard from the bench when No. 21 North Carolina takes on VCU at 6:50 p.m. Thursday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
For a player who had spent months building toward March, the loss wasn’t just physical. It was emotional, abrupt and deeply personal.
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“It’s really hard. It’s really hard to sit at a game and watch,” Wilson said. “But it’s all God’s will, so I just kind of tried to find the positive.”
That perspective didn’t come instantly. It took reflection, faith, and a conscious decision to shift his role from participant to supporter.
“I just try to encourage my teammates and make sure everybody kind of has a positive outlook in mind,” Wilson said. “I just trust my guys. We’ve all been together, we’ve all practiced.”
There was a big positive this week when he earned AP Second Team All-America honors, which means that his No. 8 jersey will be honored and hang from the Smith Center rafters.
“It feels good, but you still want to play,” he said. “I guess it’s cool to always be remembered, especially in the Dean Dome. But you still want to be out there.”
Wilson will no doubt enter the NBA draft, but said he hasn’t figured that out yet.
“No, I haven’t decided that,” Wilson said when asked about the possibility of returning. “I love Carolina. It’s a great place to play and be at, and it’s been the most fun year of my life. So it would definitely be hard to say no.”
There is a clear pull in both directions. On one hand, the disappointment of how this season ended. On the other hand, a deep appreciation for everything he’s experienced, from the biggest games to the day-to-day moments that shaped his time with the team.
“It’s been fun,” Wilson said. “That was kind of one of the things I also did when I figured out I wouldn’t play again, is to just look back at all the memories I had, that Kansas game, my first game, and just all the big games. I played three Blue Bloods this year and I’ve been a part of all those games.”
For his teammates, the shock of losing Wilson has lingered.
“It was definitely a huge shock,” Seth Trimble said. “He was supposed to be back, and we were all looking forward to it. Then all of a sudden, we heard that he had broke a bone in his other hand. So just to hear that was a complete shock.”
The timing made it harder to process, but it was not unfamiliar. This team had already dealt with adversity, and Trimble said that experience shaped their response.
“Unfortunately, we’ve been through it many times this year,” said Trimble, who missed nine games early in the season with a left arm injury. “We know how to not put it to the side, but we know how to play through something like that now and embrace Caleb in this moment. I’d say it definitely was a shock, but we’ve done a really good job of having to play through something like that.”
Henri Veesaar saw it differently. Less about the team, more about the person.
“I feel like he’s such a good guy,” Veesaar said. “We feel more bad for him than the team, just the moment of him to play March Madness got taken away. He’s been looking forward to it all year. Out of everybody, it ain’t the coach, it ain’t the team that got the biggest hurt. He got hurt the most.”
From the outside, Wilson’s role now is easy to define. He’s on the sideline. He cheers, talks, supports. But inside the locker room, his presence hasn’t diminished. If anything, it has sharpened.
“I feel like it’s always a way to make an impact,” Wilson said. “Just tell people what you see when they come off the court, and also just try to encourage people to talk a little trash. There’s so much you can do when you’re not out there.”
That mindset has carried him through long days of watching instead of playing. He leans on teammates, on routine, on perspective.
“Really, my teammates, they’re always with me,” he said. “That’s why I hang around all the time. Just having somebody to do things with kind of makes it way easier to be a part of this experience still.”
There are moments when the loss still hits. When the reality of not playing in the biggest games settles in again. But Wilson has chosen not to let those moments define the rest of his season.
So, he stays involved, loud, engaged and present.
“I just bring a lot of energy, just talk to them before the game and during the game and try to encourage them,” Wilson said. “Kind of have fun.”
From the bench, he has also gained a different view of the team, one that reinforces what he believes they can become.
“I feel like the harder we play, the more it will kind of impact us in a winning way,” he said. “We’re a great team. I feel like the enthusiasm and the willingness to play hard will take us far.”
That belief hasn’t wavered, even if his role has changed.
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South Regional
FIRST FOUR
Wednesday’s game
No. 16 Prairie View A&M 76, No. 16 Lehigh 55
FIRST ROUND
Thursday’s games
Oklahoma City
No. 4 Nebraska 76, No. 13 Troy 47
No. 5 Vanderbilt 78, No. 12 McNeese State 68
Greenville, S.C.
No. 11 VCU 86, No. 6 North Carolina 78, OT
No. 3 Illinois 105, No. 14 Penn 70
Oklahoma City
No. 10 Texas A&M 73, No. 7 St. Mary’s 50
No. 2 Houston 78, No. 15 Idaho 47
Friday’s games
Tampa, Fla.
No. 9 Iowa 67, No. 8 Clemson 61
No. 1 Florida 114, Prairie View A&M 55
SECOND ROUND
Saturday games
Oklahoma City
Nebraska 74, Vanderbilt 72
Greenville, S.C.
Illinois 76, VCU 55
Oklahoma City
Houston 88, Texas A&M 57
Sunday game
Tampa, Fla.
Iowa 73, Florida 72
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
Houston
Thursday, March 26
Iowa (23–12) vs. Nebraska (28–6)
Illinois (26–8) vs. Houston (30–6)
REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Houston
Saturday, March 28
| Date | Month/day | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 17 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 11 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 9 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | W, 71–68 | vs. No. 1 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | L, 75–66 | at No. 25 Miami | 19–5, 7–4 |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 79–65 | vs. Pittsburgh | 20–5, 8–4 |
| 17 | Tuesday | L, 82–58 | at N.C. State | 20–6, 8–5 |
| 21 | Saturday | W, 77–64 | at Syracuse | 21–6, 9–5 |
| 23 | Monday | W, 77–74 | vs. Louisville | 22–6, 10–5 |
| 28 | Saturday | W, 89–82 | vs. Virginia Tech | 23–6, 11–5 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 67–63 | vs. Clemson | 24–6, 12–5 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 76–61 | at No. 1 Duke | 24–7, 12–6 |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte | |
| 12 | Thursday | L, 80–79 | Quarterfinals: vs. Clemson | 24–8 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 19 | Thursday | L, 82–78, OT | First round: vs. VCU in Greenville, S.C. | 24–9 |
Photo via YouTube screenshot
