It was not long ago when in North Carolina Tar Heels, season appeared to be completely derailed. While losing to the Miami Hurricanes two days after beating the Duke Blue Devils was disappointing, the fallout after the game was much more concerning.

Freshman forward Caleb Wilson, who temporarily left the game with a hand injury, which was thought to be a sprained wrist, was diagnosed as a hand fracture a couple of days later.

• “University of North Carolina freshman Caleb Wilson is out with a fracture in his left hand, an injury he suffered in the first half of Tuesday’s game at Miami,” the university reported. “X-rays taken during the game were negative, and he returned to play in the second half vs. the Hurricanes, but additional imaging done in Chapel Hill revealed the fracture. The evaluation process is ongoing to determine the timetable for Wilson’s return.”

With no timetable for return, the Tar Heels’ aspirations moving forward suddenly became an afterthought, as North Carolina looked to be without its best player for the foreseeable future. To make matters worse, center Henri Veesaar’s status became murky, as he missed two games with an undisclosed lower extremity injury.

However, Veesaar returned to the lineup on Saturday, and the Tar Heels have won back-to-back games since then. On Monday night, the Tar Heels received more great news pertaining to Wilson’s potential return.

Wilson is Aiming to Be Back Against Rival

Ahead of North Carolina’s tilt against the Louisville Cardinals on Monday night, the former five-star recruit told ESPN’s announcers that he is expected to return for the regular season finale against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor.

The last time those two teams met, Wilson recorded 23 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block while shooting 8-of-12 from the field and playing all 40 minutes in North Carolina’s historic comeback win over Duke.

Both teams have picked up significant results since that game, and the matchup occurring as the final game of the season for both teams makes it that much better.

Significance of Wilson’s Return

Obviously, Wilson back in the fold is monumental for the Tar Heels simply because the team is better with him. Additionally, the timing of his return would be ideal, as the freshman forward could get a game under his belt before the conference tournament and NCAA tournament next month.

North Carolina could make a serious jump in seeding in March Madness if it makes a run in the ACC tournament, which would be far less likely with Wilson out. Barring a setback, the freshman forward should be back for the conference tournament and give the Tar Heels a legitimate chance of pushing for the title in the ACC.