Written by MICHAEL KOH
The most-talked-about left hand in Chapel Hill may be out of its cast, but it’s still shrouded in mystery.
As we approach UNC-Duke Part II in Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday night, all anyone can talk about is a player who hasn’t suited up in nearly a month. Almost as soon as Hubert Davis sat down for a press conference at the Smith Center Thursday, he was asked about the availability of freshman star Caleb Wilson. Wilson had apparently told ESPN his goal was to return to action for Saturday’s game after fracturing his left hand in February.
The first of two ACC-mandated injury reports for the Duke game is due at 8 p.m. Friday night. With Davis speaking to the media Thursday, he was not about to commit one way or another to Wilson’s status. All he divulged was that Caleb would be doing “more” than he had in recent workouts, but that the freshman still hadn’t been cleared for 5-on-5 drills — usually the last hurdle for a player returning from an injury.
This shouldn’t completely snuff out the possibility of Wilson suiting up, as Henri Veesaar only had one limited practice before playing at Syracuse after missing the previous two games. But Veesaar’s absences seemed more precautionary than anything, whereas Wilson’s injury has been enough to sideline him for six contests.
One fact that might tilt the scales toward Wilson sitting is that UNC has already locked up a double bye in next week’s ACC Tournament. The Tar Heels can’t move up or down from their No. 4 seed — in fact, all four of the top seeds, including No. 1 Duke, have already been decided. With the Blue Devils already clinching the outright ACC regular-season title, Saturday’s showdown has suddenly turned into an oddly low-leverage game. Of course, both teams will be fired up to win; Duke wants to avenge its lone conference loss, while Carolina would love nothing more than to sweep its rivals. But as far as postseason implications go, not much is on the line.
If UNC was going into Saturday needing a win to secure that double bye, perhaps Davis would be more apt to hurry Wilson back. Now? It seems like the odds favor him not playing.
Whenever Wilson does return, the risks will be obvious. The freshman stud will have rust to shake off, and opponents will no doubt target that left hand. Then there are the teammates who will need to get used to having him back on the court. Not the worst problem to have, but something to monitor regardless. UNC would probably like to get those kinks out of the system in the less-stressful environment of the ACC Tournament than in the Big Dance a week later.
One thing appears to be certain, though: whenever and wherever UNC plays its final game of the season, No. 8 will be on the court to say his piece.
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Featured image via Todd Melet
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