We know you're probably sick and tired of hearing about it, but UNC's deflating loss to North Carolina State continues to make headlines. You know what, good. Maybe it will light a fire under the players after such a poor effort in a rivalry game.
The Darryn Peterson drama should have UNC fans even more grateful for Caleb Wilson
You know what else is going to motivate the locker room after the disappointing setback? That'd be Caleb Wilson calling out the locker room a bit and reminding everyone that there's a standard that needs to be met. Wait, what?
Indeed, both Jarin Stevenson and Zayden High confirmed that Wilson, who is sidelined due to his hand injury, was quick to respectfully tell his teammates that the effort wasn't good enough, but that he knows this squad has what it takes to bounce back.
Caleb Wilson was not happy with how North Carolina played against NC State
"Caleb stepped up and he was really not happy about the way we played," UNC's Jarin Stevenson told the media following the mid-week loss. "He felt like we could have done a lot better. He really believes in us and again, just fighting back and being more physical."
Per Stevenson, there was a long talk in the locker room after the defeat and while head man Hubert Davis voiced his displeasure, Wilson also stepped up. Sometimes it's easy to forget that he's a baby-faced freshman, but Wilson continues to showcase a ton of maturity and leadership for his age.
The fact that he's not able to play must be killing him on the inside, but Wilson is still ready to do whatever he can to help out this team until he can return. That includes doing some coaching from the bench and hyping up the guys next to him as best he can.
Without Wilson and Henri Veesaar, it was always a long shot for the Tar Heels to post a road win. With that said, losing 82-58 is not what anyone expected. North Carolina looked sluggish and that kind of a performance can't be repeated. This is something Wilson understands, which is why he wants to make sure the Tar Heels don't play at such a poor level again this campaign.