Not to beat a dead horse, but things could’ve went a lot better for the Tar Heels this season. There were some high points that were notable — beating Kansas and Duke in the Dean Dome, and beating Kentucky at Rupp Arena — the lows were pretty frustrating. But even with some of the adversity that transpired, the one consistently good thing was Second Team All-American forward, Caleb Wilson. This is why he is our 2025-26 MVP for the Tar Heels.
Wilson finished his season averaging a team high 19.8 points
and 9.4 rebounds per game. At one point he led the team in every statistical category, but things changed near the end of the season after he was injured. The fact that he was so close to averaging a double-double is mind-boggling, and his ability to get to the rim whenever he wanted was truly special. He was just as good of a defender, too — while stats never tell the full picture when it comes to defensive impact, he did finish the season averaging 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
There were two things that were true about Wilson’s impact on the team — there were games where his efforts weren’t enough, but there were games where one could argue he was the main reason they won. A lot of Carolina’s losses had to do with defensive lapses and failure to execute down the stretch. It’s fair to say that we rarely saw a problem with execution when it came to Wilson. There were some games that he probably wishes he could run back, but he always managed to contribute in another way. One good example is the win over Kentucky, when he only went 26% from the field but he pulled down 12 boards and had six assists.
There are a number of Carolina fans that feel like Wilson’s absence down the stretch is the reason that they didn’t win a game in the ACC or NCAA Tournaments. What can be said about that is that his absence was definitely felt, and when it seemed like this team looked clueless on the court, Wilson was the ultimate safety valve at times. Do with that information what you will.
Caleb Wilson is going to be an excellent NBA player, and there is already some buzz that he may end up being a top three draft pick. While he hasn’t made a decision yet, it’s really hard to imagine a world where he doesn’t take his talents to the Association this summer. Wilson arrived on campus to. become a legend, and he became just that in a very short amount of time. It was truly a privilege to watch him play in Carolina blue, and it’ll be exciting to see what he does next.
