The North Carolina Tar Heels are dealing with injuries to two of their key players, Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson, ahead of their upcoming game against Syracuse. Veesaar is increasing his practice work, while Wilson is due for evaluation next week.
North Carolina coach Hubert Davis announced that Henri Veesaar would return to limited practice, while Caleb Wilson would have another evaluation next week as both players recover from injuries. Veesaar is dealing with a lower-body injury, while Wilson has a fracture in his left hand.
The two players are ranked 1-2 on the team in scoring and rebounding, with Wilson averaging 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds, and Veesaar averaging 16.4 points and 9.0 rebounds. Both have missed the past two games, including a 24-point loss at rival N.C. State.
Wilson was hurt in the first half of the Tar Heels’ game against Duke and finished with his palm and wrist area wrapped after in-game X-rays were negative. Additional imaging two days later identified a fracture.
Despite his injury, Wilson has indicated in multiple social-media posts that he plans to return to the court. Davis said that Wilson is doing everything he can to stay in shape, including ballhandling and shooting drills, but is not able to participate in contact practices.
“He’s been in my office every day and he wants to practice today,” Davis said with a chuckle, “but I’m not going to let him.” Davis added that Wilson is doing everything he can to stay in shape, including ballhandling and shooting drills, and will be ready to go when he returns.
As for Veesaar, Davis said that the 7-foot junior would return to individual workouts on Thursday and the team would see how he handled more practice work on Friday. Veesaar is questionable for the Tar Heels’ game against Syracuse on Saturday.
The Tar Heels are looking to bounce back from their loss to N.C. State, and the return of Veesaar and Wilson would be a big boost to the team. With the two players out, the Tar Heels have struggled to find consistency on the court.
For more information on the Tar Heels and their upcoming games, visit the AP Top 25 college basketball poll and college basketball hub.
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