Hubert Davis deserves a ton of credit for keeping UNC alive without Caleb Wilson

The Tar Heels are staying afloat with its superstar eyeing a return very soon

Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; UNC head coach Hubert Davis reacts during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

It felt like North Carolina’s season was going to hit an iceberg.

After its win over Duke, the Tar Heels not only lost its next game on the road against Miami but lost Caleb Wilson to a fractured hand in the process. A season with so much promise after its biggest victory of the season was teetering.

But Wilson’s assurance that he would return and Hubert Davis kept the team on course.

Sure, there was a bump in a blowout loss against NC State in which standout big man Henri Veesaar missed as well, but without Wilson in the lineup the Tar Heels are 3-1 and just landed a major victory at home over No. 24 Louisville.

Davis gets a lot of the criticism when his team loses, but now he deserves the praise.

Syracuse is down and struggling, there’s no doubt about it, but to go on the road and defeat the Orange in a hostile environment after the Wolfpack domination was impressive. It was equally as impressed that Hubert Davis got his team to be so locked in defensively against a talented offense like Louisville.

The Cardinals started hot but then were shut down, missing 15 straight shots spanning the end of the first half and the second half. The final score, 77-74, did not indicate how much the court was tilted in favor of the Tar Heels for the better part of 30 minuets in the game.

Now, North Carolina can see the light at the end of the tunnel and the return of Caleb Wilson. He told the ESPN broadcast on Monday night that he wants to be back on the floor for its rematch against Duke on March 7.

His fracture is in his non-shooting hand. He’s been getting up shots in pregame warmups for the last week. It’s clear that he will return and wants to return for the most important games of the season.

North Carolina will host Virginia Tech and Clemson before its trip to Durham, and it has not lost at home this season. Two wins plus Wilson’s return could make the Tar Heels a very dangerous team entering the postseason and Hubert Davis has already proven he can work wonders with a hot team in his coaching career.