Despite Missing Caleb Wilson, North Carolina Remains A Formidable Foe For Virginia Tech

Can Virginia Tech knock off North Carolina tomorrow night on the road?

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

It is a big weekend for Virginia Tech Basketball.

The Hokies have had a full week to prepare for a road showdown with No. 18 North Carolina and there is a lot on the line in Chapel Hill. Sure, North Carolina is a lock for the Tournament, but Virginia Tech comes into this game really needing a win to keep their bubble alive. With limited opportunities left this season to make a good impression for the selection committee,

North Carolina is going to be missing its best player, forward Caleb Wilson, in this game. Wilson is expected to be a top four selection in the upcoming NBA Draft, but he won't be on the court when the Hokies face the Tar Heels. Despite Wilson's absence, the Tar Heels have won three of the previous four games.

Don't expect North Carolina to be an easy out by any means.

A top ACC team

North Carolina has not lost a game at home this season and still has plenty of talent at their disposal in this game. This is the first time UNC has started a season 16-0 in the Smith Center (the 2004-05, 2010-11, and 2016-17 teams finished the year 15-0 in the Smith Center. The 2016-17 team also won a home game in the Greensboro Coliseum).

Seth Trimble scored a career-high 30 points (11 of 16 from the floor) and Carolina held Louisville to 38.8% shooting in Monday's win over the 24th-ranked Cardinals. Louisville led by 10 early but the Tar Heels shot 60.7% in the first half, and Trimble scored 16 first-half points to take a one-point lead at the break. In the second half, UNC built its lead to 16 then held on for its third one-possession win at home this season (Wake Forest and Duke).

Red-shirt junior center Henri Veesaar, a transfer from Arizona, leads the team in field goal shooting (61.4%) and three-point accuracy (43.1%) and is second in scoring (16.3), rebounding (8.5) and blocks (32).

Veesaar is one of only seven Tar Heels to make 30 three-pointers and block 30 shots in the same season. The list includes Jerry Stackhouse in 1994-95, Vince Carter in 1997-98, Jawad Williams in 2002-03, Danny Green in 2007-08 and 2008-09, Luke Maye in 2017-18, Pete Nance in 2022-23 and Veesaar.

He has scored 20 or more points six times – 26 vs. ETSU and Stanford, 25 vs. Wake Forest, 24 vs. the Bonnies, 20 vs. Kansas and 20 at Georgia Tech. He had one 20-point game in his first two seasons at Arizona. Veesaar leads UNC in plus/minus at plus 314 and has led the Tar Heels in plus/minus eight times, the most on the team.

Can Virginia Tech win? Absolutely, but with players like Trimble and Veesaar, as well as a tremendous home-court advantage, the Tar Heels have more than enough to get a win at home vs the Hokies, despite missing one of the best talents in the country.