The Tar Heels will be a little different when they take the floor at the Dean Smith Center on Saturday afternoon.
Star freshman Caleb Wilson will be sidelined for an indefinite amount of time due to a fracture in his left hand, a devastating blow for North Carolina (especially with the final stretch of the regular season already underway).
However, the show must go on, and the Tar Heels must find a way to get the job done. That "next man up" mentality starts when Jeff Capel and the Pittsburgh Panthers come to Chapel Hill, a game that UNC must be ready for.
Don't let Pittsburgh's record fool you: Capel despises the Tar Heels and will have his team ready to go. North Carolina has no time to wallow in sorrow over Wilson's injury or licking the wounds of the loss to Miami just a few days prior.
The goal now is, find a way to win games with the crew you got. Let's not forget: this is still a good team that is very capable of winning.
2025-2026 Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall record: 19-5
Conference Record: 7-4
Home Record: 14-0
Away Record: 3-4
Neutral Site Record: 2-1
Top-25 Wins: 4
Pittsburgh Panthers
Overall record: 9-16
Conference Record: 2-10
Home Record: 7-9
Away Record: 1-6
Neutral Site Record: 1-1
Key Players
North Carolina
Caleb Wilson (Fr. Forward)- 20.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists
Henri Veesaar (Jr. Center)- 16.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists
Seth Trimble (Sr. Guard)- 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists
Luka Bogavac (Jr. Guard)- 9.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists
Wilson will not play due to injury.
Pittsburgh
Brandon Cummings (So. Guard)- 12.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists
Cameron Corhen (Sr. Forward)- 12.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Barry Dunning Jr. (Sr. Guard)- 11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
Come out with a vengeance
Yes, you lost the game following your incredible win over Duke. Sure, Caleb Wilson is sidelined due to injury.
Both factors should motivate the healthy players enough to keep the tide rolling in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels need to come out of the gate strong: a lackadasical effort won't cut it. For the time being, Caleb Wilson can't keep them in games, it will be up to the rest of the roster to step up.
Mr. Veesaar, Mr. Trimble, Mr. Stevenson, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Evans, Mr. Powell, Mr. Bogavac, etc... the time is yours to step up.
Something to Watch For
How much will the offensive attack change with Wilson sidelined?
Let's not get it twisted: one player won't match the essential 20-points/10-rebound effort Wilson consistently provides. It will be a full-team effort to replace the production.
Who will step up? How will the rotation shape up? What happens if UNC gets into foul trouble (especially in the front court)?
All these are logicial questions because quite frankly, we have no prior data in this type of scenario. It will be an adjustment on the fly, and Hubert Davis will have to click all the right buttons for it all to work out.
Projected Starters
No. 3- Derek Dixon
No. 7- Seth Trimble
No. 13- Henri Veesaar
No. 15- Jarin Stevenson
No. 44 Luka Bogavac