The outlook for North Carolina heading into the NCAA Tournament is obviously shifting, and most believe a key injury is the main reason why.
According to Grant Chachere of Tar Heels Wire, star forward Caleb Wilson has played a major role in recent seeding projections.
Bracket projections from USA Today currently have North Carolina as the No. 6 seed in the East Region. While that still positions the Tar Heels comfortably in the NCAA Tournament, it’s a drop from where they had been projected earlier in the season.
North Carolina enters the NCAA Tournament with a strong resume. The team finished the regular season with a 24-8 overall record and went 12-6 in ACC. UNC lost its first game of the ACC Tournament with an 80-79 loss to Clemson.
However, Chachere noted that Wilson’s injury appears to be a key factor behind the slide in recent projections.
“USA TODAY Sports has released its bracketology, and North Carolina has been slipping a tad recently,” Chachere wrote.
“The Tar Heels are currently the No. 6 seed in the East Region. UNC finished the regular season 24-7 overall and 12-6 in ACC play. The reasoning for the drop is largely due to the season-ending injury of All-ACC forward Caleb Wilson.”
Before suffering the injury that ended his season, Wilson was by far the biggest reason for North Carolina’s success. The freshman was just as good as any player in the country and has a real chance to go No. 1 in a few months.
Replacing that type of output is never easy, especially heading into postseason play where depth and star power can determine how far a team can advance. Hubert Davis has said that UNC has played enough without him to still win its games, but that isn’t always the case.
Wilson’s ability to dominate inside, rebound, and create offense made him the most valuable players on the roster. No matter what Davis says about him not being there, it’s impossible to replace that. Without him, North Carolina will need multiple players to step up in order to fill the loss, and it likely won’t be possible.