3 Players Who Won't Be on North Carolina in 2026-27 Season

The North Carolina Tar Heels suffered a gut-wrenching 82-78 overtime loss to the VCU Rams on Thursday night in the first round of the 2026 NCAA tournament.

After leading by as much as 19 points in the second half, the Tar Heels slowly saw their command of the game dwindle. North Carolina led by 14 points with a little over six minutes left, but after VCU made a couple of threes, the Tar Heels unraveled from the increased pressure. North Carolina would eventually fall in overtime, as free throws and turnovers cemented the Tar Heels' meltdown.

Discussing the landcape of the team is not what North Carolina fans want to hear right now, but here are three players who will not be on the team next season.

Seth Trimble

This is the most obvious one, as Trimble was a senior on this year's roster. Ending his North Carolina career in the way that it transpired is incredibly painful, as the Tar Heels outplayed VCU for the majority of the game.

However, the issues that had hampered North Carolina all season were on full display in the second half. The Tar Heels instantly became inept in the half-court offense and were unable to put the game away from the free throw line. The senior guard recorded 15 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and five steals while shooting 5-of-11 from the field.

Caleb Wilson

It is such a shame that the freshman forward was unable to play in the NCAA tournament after suffering a season-ending broken thumb days before the conference tournament. Wilson missed out on the opportunity to experience March Madness, and will not have another chance, as he is most likely headed to the 2026 NBA Draft.

In 24 games, Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 57.8 percent from the field and 25.9 percent from three-point range. The 6-foot-9, 216-pound forward was also dominant on defense, averaging 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

Henri Veesaar

Veesaar developed into one of the best transfer acquisitions in the country, as he averaged 16.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 61.4 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from three-point range.

The Arizona transfer's draft stock improved exponentially in the ACC and NCAA tournaments. In those two games, Veesaar averaged 27 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 19-of-34 from the field, including 6-of-12 from beyond the arc. Veesaar could decide to return to Chapel Hill, but odds are he declares for the NBA Draft at some point this offseason.