A review process is underway to determine the timetable for Wilson’s return.
Wilson suffered the injury in the first half of UNC’s 75-66 loss to Miami on Tuesday. The in-game X-rays were negative, allowing Wilson to return for the second half with his hand heavily wrapped; he finished the game with 12 points – his fewest in any game this season – along with six rebounds and three blocks.
Asked after the game about Wilson’s hand, UNC coach Hubert Davis said there was no such situation, “as far as I know.”
A top-10 recruit in the class of 2025, Wilson has been a revelation for the Tar Heels this season. His 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game were crucial for No. 11 North Carolina, which went 19-5 and was ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll all season. Wilson also set UNC freshman records by scoring in double figures every game and scoring at least 20 points on 17 different occasions.
Wilson earned co-ACC Rookie of the Week honors last week — his third such honor this season — after leading UNC to a last-second victory over rival Duke on Saturday. The 6-foot-1 freshman had a team-high 23 points against the Blue Devils, plus four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
Wilson is a projected top-five pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft.
In Wilson’s absence, junior forward Jarin Stevenson – who has started 16 games this season, although mainly on the wing alongside Wilson and center Henri Veesaar – should rise to the starting lineup. Stevenson has been more effective as a backup big man over the last few games than as a winger of enormous size, although he is far from the polished scorer Wilson. Sophomore forward Zayden High should see more than the 5.3 minutes per game he has so far, especially as a body when UNC’s bigs have been in foul trouble.
It’s also worth wondering if Davis will play more small ball, as he was forced to do last season by UNC’s lack of post players. For example, sophomore wing Jonathan Powell is only 6-foot-4 and 191 pounds, but is a strong positional rebounder with the ability to defend stronger, taller opponents. But the reality is that there is simply no substitute for Wilson’s productivity or consistency, especially this late in the regular season.
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