It's been a hectic week for UNC basketball fans, as the news of Caleb Wilson suffering a fracture in his left hand has left people down in the dumps. Thankfully, it looks like some positive news may have arrived for the North Carolina faithful.
Caleb Wilson only needed 3 words to silence Draft prep rumors for worried UNC fans
On Friday, Inside Carolina reported that there's a target return timeline for Wilson of 3-4 weeks. If that ends up being the case, it means that Wilson would be back right around the ACC Tournament, and he'd also be good to go for the NCAA Tourney. Obviously, that would be golden for Hubert Davis and his staff if Wilson can get back on the court at that time, though nothing has been confirmed by the university there.
Caleb Wilson is expected to return to the court this season for North Carolina.
— InsideCarolina (@InsideCarolina) February 13, 2026
Here's what Inside Carolina is hearing from sources on the freshman’s fractured left hand, per @GSBarnes23.
Read (+): https://t.co/pCq5tlvrQy pic.twitter.com/PHypzxcsm4
UNC's Caleb Wilson has passionately said he plans to play again this season
While there's been no official statement made by the Tar Heels regarding Wilson's return, this new report from Inside Carolina sure has people talking. Right after news broke of Wilson's injury, he passionately told UNC supporters that he has not played his last contest with the team.
With that said, this is also a pretty tricky injury and the last thing Davis is going to want to do is bring back Wilson too quickly. People still remain quite upset that the freshman phenom returned against Miami, as he was clearly hurt and shouldn't have gotten back on the floor.
What's done is done there and now it's time for UNC to move on. On Saturday, the Tar Heels hosted Pitt, posting a convincing win. Right before tip-off for that showdown, ESPN's Zubin Mehenti said that there's no set timeline for when Wilson will be able to play once again this campaign. That sentiment has been shared by many reporters and analysts.
Also before tip-off, Wilson was spotted hyping up his teammates, while also signing autographs for fans. If it were up to the 5-star freshman, he'd be back on the hardwood ASAP, but again, this is something UNC must be extra careful with. No one knows exactly when Wilson will be turning heads with the ball in his hands once again, but there's plenty of optimism we haven't seen the last of him in 2026 donning Carolina blue.