The ACC Tournament is officially underway and all eyes are on the top dogs pushing to win a title. While there are going to be some fantastic games on the way in the coming days, including a potential rematch between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils in the semifinals, there are also some injuries ruining things a bit.
Duke gets brutal Caleb Foster injury news after he injured himself vs. UNC
That's right, late in the regular season we've seen some ACC powerhouses get brutal news, with North Carolina and Hubert Davis finding out Caleb Wilson is going to be out for the year. In this piece, we're highlighting the three worst injuries that indeed will be robbing fans of joy for the conference tourney.
3. UNC without Caleb Wilson due to his broken thumb
To start us off, plenty of people in Chapel Hill are still quite bummed that Wilson is not only out for the ACC Tournament, but he's out for the rest of the season as well. Wilson was robbed of his first March Madness, as he broke his thumb on a dunk in practice.
While Wilson appears to have left the door open for a potential return next season, all signs are pointing to him leaving UNC to enter the 2026 NBA Draft. He's a projected Top 5 pick, so no one can blame him if he does leave town.
2. Caleb Foster out for Duke due to a fractured bone in his foot
Over in Durham, standout point guard Caleb Foster went down in the rivalry game against UNC on Saturday night. That win for Duke proved to be costly, as Foster suffered a fractured bone in his right foot and he's out for an extended period of time.
Foster is out for the ACC Tourney and head coach Jon Scheyer said it seems like the earliest he'll be able to return would be if Duke makes the Final Four. That's a big if, however, and it wouldn't be a shock at all if we've seen the last of Foster play this season.
1. Louisville star Mikel Brown Jr. dealing with a back issue for Pat Kelsey
The most recent news that came in was that Louisville standout Mikel Brown Jr. is out for the ACC Tournament, which is a major blow for the Cardinals. The youngster is working through a back injury, which has turned out to be much worse than any of us thought.
Coach Pat Kelsey said the goal is for Brown to rest up this week and then get back on the hardwood for the NCAA Tournament. That's far from a guarantee at this point and the Louisville faithful are likely quite worried about his status moving forward.