North Carolina vs. Clemson Injury Update Heading into ACC Quarterfinals Matchup

Here is an injury update for both teams, as they enter an important contest on Thursday night.

Mar 3, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) drives to the basket during the second half against the Clemson Tigers at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels face the Clemson Tigers on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament. While the Tar Heels earned a double bye, the Tigers opened their conference tournament action on Wednesday night with a win 71-62 win over Wake Forest.

With all of that being said, here is an injury report for both teams, as they head into Thursday night's pivotal matchup with a semifinal appearance on the line.

Caleb Wilson

Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) looks on prior to the game against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

The freshman forward's status for the rest of this season has been well-documented, but as a reminder, Wilson suffered a broken thumb in practice last week, which required season-ending surgery. His freshman season, and unfortunately, collegiate career has prematurely ended.

While speaking with the media following North Carolina's lopsided defeat against the Duke Blue Devils this past weekend, head coach Hubert Davis discussed the unfortunate injury.

Feb 14, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis reacts in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

• “Obviously, there’s tremendous sadness for him," Davis said. "I’ve talked about how special, obviously he’s a special player, but just how remarkable of a kid and a teammate he is, and the passion that he has for his teammates, for North Carolina, for being on the floor, for playing in games like this."

• "It was a dream for him to play in the ACC in the NCAA tournament, and my heart is broken that he won’t be able to do that," Davis continued. "But we finished the regular season. Now it’s time to regroup.”

Carter Welling

Mar 11, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers center Carter Welling (22) is helped from the court in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The junior forward suffered a knee injury late in the first half on Wednesday night, and he has officially been declared out against North Carolina. Welling averages 10.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game, which is a monumental loss for the Tigers.

While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference on Wednesday night, head coach Brad Bronwell updated Welling's status moving forward.

Mar 3, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell reacts to a call during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

• “Obviously, they are going to do MRIs and all of those things,” Brownell said. “I find it unlikely he will play tomorrow, but I have not been told anything definitive. Obviously, it is disappointing because I thought we were playing really well tonight and would love to be at full strength and that is part of it.

• “Obviously, we will try to find a way to combat that, but it is hard to do the platoon system when you only have nine [players], so we are not going to play North Carolina five-on-four. We are not that arrogant," Bronwell continued.