North Carolina Deemed One of Most Painful March Madness Exits

• "Please check on your Tar Heel friends and tell them it's going to be OK. [North] Carolina just allowed the sixth-largest comeback in NCAA tournament history and the second-largest second-half comeback - blowing a 19-point lead," Pulsifer stated.

• "Not only was UNC's win probability at 99.2% with 14 minutes left, but it was also still at 99.1% while up 14 with over six minutes to go. A season that started with such promise, featuring one of the biggest wins over Duke in program history in early February, unraveled just one game later when freshman phenom Caleb Wilson broke his hand against Miami."

• "The [Tar] Heels rebounded to win five of their next six, but then the death knell came: Wilson broke his other hand just before returning and would miss the rest of the season," Pulsifer continued.

Overall Thoughts

Wilson's injury was such a disappointing development, as this team could have been one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament at full health. Before his season-ending injury, Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 57.8 percent from the field.

Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, Wilson will enter the 2026 NBA Draft, making the end of this season even more painful for the program. North Carolina was denied the chance to see how its team would perform on the biggest stage at full strength. Now, the players and the remaining coaching staff can only think about what could have been if the superstar freshman had never suffered the unforeseen injury.

Without the 6-foot-9, 216-pound forward, the Tar Heels limped into the NCAA Tournament on a two-game skid, which included an uninspiring loss to Duke days before the conference tournament. We will never know how this team would look with Wilson in the fold, and who knows, maybe North Carolina would be preparing for a Final Four matchup this week.