Caleb Wilson sheds his cast, progressing toward court return. Injury status shifts for North Carolina's star scorer, boosting postseason hopes.
Last week, North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis suggested star freshman Caleb Wilson would return to play in games sooner rather than later.
Wilson's injury status appears to have changed over the weekend.
Wilson fractured his left hand in UNC's 75-66 loss to Miami on Feb. 10. His left hand was in a cast, and he has not returned to play since suffering the injury against the Hurricanes.
North Carolina is waiting for medial imaging to clear the expected first-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft. The Tar Heels hope to see Wilson return, as he averages 19.8 per game, leading the team.
During his postgame news conference on Saturday after UNC beat Virginia Tech 89-82, Davis told reporters that Wilson no longer has a cast on his left hand.
Wilson is not participating in five-on-five drills in practice, but the forward can do individual workouts.
“Yeah, there is an update," Davis said of Wilson, via USA Today. "He doesn’t have his cast on anymore, and can’t do anything five-on-five, but he can do individual workouts, and he can dribble, shoot, he can do everything, just nothing on contact.
"So that’s a huge benefit for us. He’s out of the cast and being able to work out. Moving in the right direction. So, he worked out the day before the game, and just was dribbling, shooting, catching, like normal.”
The Tar Heels are 4-1 since Wilson has been ruled out due to the injury. Davis thinks his team has become "edgier" because Wilson cannot play.
“I do think we’ve become a group that’s edgier," Davis said. "I like to get more of an edge, but I do feel that way. We’re finding ways, whether it’s to get a stop, get a rebound, execute on the offensive end...
"The resiliency of this group through a lot of changes this year, the way that they have reacted and responded, has been fantastic.”
UNC has two more regular season games remaining before the ACC Tournament. The Tar Heels will take on Clemson at home on Tuesday.
North Carolina will then travel to play No. 1 Duke on Saturday to finish the regular season.