How Caleb Wilson helped lift UNC basketball past Pitt, even in street clothes

Caleb Wilson walked onto the Smith Center hardwood about an hour before tipoff Saturday and waved to an applauding student section.

While his teammates went through warmups, Wilson wore a Carolina blue quarter-zip, black Nike joggers and New Balance sneakers as he signed autographs, posed for photos and, generally, stayed as active as he could despite being sidelined indefinitely with a fractured left hand.

The splint and wrap around his left hand didn’t keep Wilson from dribbling. He did that on the bench before the game with John Holbrook and Henri Veesaar (sidelined Saturday with an illness), laughing and singing along to the music blaring over the speakers. It didn’t keep him from shooting, either. After his teammates finished their final pregame shots, Wilson insisted a manager pass him the ball so he could attempt a one-handed free throw.

Swish.

Don’t let the antics — from the pregame jubilation to the myriad bench celebrations during No. 11 North Carolina’s 79-65 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday — fool you. Wilson was, in the words of coach Hubert Davis, “devastated” when a midweek X-ray in Chapel Hill revealed the aching hand was fractured, not sprained as previously believed.

But there’s something the injury couldn’t take away.

“He loves to play, but he loves being a part of a team,” Davis said. “And I think he found out, even though he’s not playing, he’s still part of the team. I mean, even during practice, he can’t even sit down. He’s dribbling with his right hand. He’s shooting hooks with his right hand. He’s on the bike and in the huddles. He was vocal in the locker room.

“Him and Henri, I thought, played a huge part in giving the confidence to their teammates that we could get this thing done today.”

While Veesaar’s leadership was apparent from the moment he arrived in Chapel Hill — pulling teammates such as Seth Trimble aside to work on 3-point shooting and earning the captain’s nod as a junior transfer — Wilson had been intentional this season about channeling his exuberance into on-court leadership.

After UNC’s 0-2 West Coast swing, Wilson made leadership a priority. He spent time in Davis’ office. They talked. And teammates say the growth hasn’t disappeared just because he’s in street clothes.

“Our message was, Caleb’s hurt, but we still got Caleb,” Trimble said. “We still got his voice. He’s still here, so we got to use that. But it’s the next-man-up mentality. I remember when I got hurt at the beginning of the season. It sucks to hear, but you can’t sit and cry about it, because life moves on. There’s games to be played and we need guys to step up.”

Several did.

Zayden High entered Saturday averaging 1.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in 5.1 minutes per game. In his first career start, he scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 32 minutes.

Wiping his face with a towel during postgame interviews, High admitted he was winded — particularly in the opening minutes — but grateful.

“Obviously, you guys know I haven’t been playing as much,” High said. “I got a couple DNPs in conference play, but I kept my head down. Unfortunately, Caleb and Henri were out, but I stepped up to the plate.”

Trimble called High’s performance “absolutely incredible.”

“He played free today,” Trimble said. “He was aggressive in the post. He rebounded the ball well in that second half. Every opportunity he got to be aggressive and create something for the team, he did. That’s what we’re going to need. His number is going to keep being called.”

High credited much of his growth to going up daily against Wilson and Veesaar, one of the ACC’s most productive frontcourt pairings.

“They’ve been playing so well this year and giving me little critiques, just to make sure I’m in the right spot on offense and defense,” High said.

That guidance carried over Saturday, even with both unavailable. Veesaar, who was battling illness, was more subdued than usual. Wilson was not.

Shortly after the game, Wilson posted on X that he was in “GREAT” spirits. It showed. He stuck out his tongue after big plays, flexed toward the bench and flashed a “too small” gesture after a post score. He mimicked shredding a guitar with Elijah Davis and broke into a dance alongside Holbrook.

Jarin Stevenson said he tried not to look over “too much” at the celebrations but appreciated the freshman’s presence in the huddles.

Then, curiosity getting the better of him, Stevenson asked aloud: “What celebrations was he doing?”

Where to start?

Wilson’s energy mirrored a team that never trailed, hit its first eight shots and led for 38:57. Stevenson and Trimble scored 19 points apiece, Luka Bogavac added 15 and High delivered the best performance of his young career as UNC improved to 20-5 overall and 8-4 in the ACC. Pitt fell to 9-17 and 2-11.

Carolina, playing without its top two scorers and rebounders — who account for nearly 45% of its scoring — pushed the tempo, forced 12 turnovers and committed just four. The Tar Heels scored 16 fast-break points and stretched the lead to as many as 22 in the second half.

“They just executed,” Davis said. “Tonight was a clear example of what Carolina basketball is about. You had two teammates out, and for them to react and respond this way.”

And Wilson, despite the splint and street clothes, was part of that response.

As the Tar Heels headed back to the locker room for their final pregame huddle, Wilson walked through the tunnel with his teammates, still smiling. Nearby stood athletics director Bubba Cunningham.

Cunningham caught Wilson’s eye, gestured at his cast and offered a joking, “Come on, man!”

Wilson shook his head before looking up and offering a promise.

“I’ma be back by the Duke game,” he said, supposedly referencing the game at Cameron Indoor on March 7.

They shook on it. Wilson, obviously, doing so with his right.

And although UNC has declined to put an official timeline on their star freshman’s return, this much is certain: Wilson’s already counting the days.