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Caleb Wilson Creates Excitement Ahead of Kansas Contest

The frosh announces a whiteout for Tar Heel fans to take part in during the UNC-Kansas game.
Jeremiah Artacho|
North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson during UNC's exhibition game vs. Winston-Salem State on Oct. 29, 2025.
North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson during UNC's exhibition game vs. Winston-Salem State on Oct. 29, 2025. | Jackson McCurdy, Tar Heels On SI

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North Carolina Tar Heels

Freshman Caleb Wilson is officially a North Carolina Tar Heel after the season opener, where UNC took on Central Arkansas inside the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels won, 94-54, as Wilson took charge in his debut with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists. Hubert Davis began his fifth year as head coach of the program.

Wilson, a New Balance shoe signee, took it to social media on X (formerly Twitter) ahead of the blue-blooded matchup against Kansas and head coach Bill Self to share that a whiteout is in effect for fans to participate in. The last time a whiteout occurred was during the 2023-2024 season, when UNC faced Tennessee for the ACC/SEC challenge.

UPDATE (4:13 p.m.): On Thursday afternoon, Tar Heels On SI was told that there will be no whiteout on Friday night. And for this matter, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of UNC men's basketball shared a tweet about the situation:

The frosh is a fan favorite for many — his performance during games and interesting character off the court have led him to gain new fans with the season underway. This game will be North Carolina's third matchup against the Jayhawks over the last five years. The last two contests took place during the 2022 National Championship and last season on the road.

Davis is on a two-game losing streak to Self, as he once had a 15-point lead as a first-year head coach, in what would have been the end of a magical journey to claim the program's seventh national championship, with its last being in 2017, when former head coach Roy Williams earned his third banner before retiring in 2021.

UN
Apr 4, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis and the bench react after a play against the Kansas Jayhawks during the first half during the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four championship game at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

UPDATE (7:31 p.m.): After some time, UNC men's basketball took it to social media to share a video of Wilson announcing that the game will indeed be a whiteout — the freshman captures major fan-influence:

No More Iron Five, But Caleb Wilson Has Arrived

RJ Davis, Caleb Love, Leaky Black, Brady Manek and Armando Bacot — the Iron Five — dominated the minutes for Davis and the coaching staff. All five players formed the starting lineup that fueled UNC's run toward the end of the 2021-2022 campaign. However, all of them are gone now — but Wilson takes the stage.

And aside from Wilson, Seth Trimble, Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac, Henri Veesaar, Jarin Stevenson, and others will be important pieces in UNC's ability to snap the program's losing streak. On the other hand, Kansas will be a tough task — ranked No. 19 in the preseason AP Poll.

Darryn Peterson, listed as the No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2025, three spots ahead of Wilson, is the star Jayhawk who will cause problems for the Tar Heels. Peterson scored 21 points, grabbed four rebounds and three assists and two steals, as Kansas won, 94-51, against Green Bay.

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Jeremiah Artacho
JEREMIAH ARTACHO

Jeremiah Artacho graduated from DTCC with an associate's degree in journalism and attends UNC now, where he is pursuing his bachelor's in journalism. He brings tremendous experience covering the Tar Heels to his new role as North Carolina Tar Heels Associate Beat Writer on SI.

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