The North Carolina Tar Heels will open up their 2025-26 college basketball season with a matchup against the Central Arkansas Bears on Monday night.
Hubert Davis and his ACC squad rank No. 25 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.
The Tar Heels have a small group of returning veterans, headlined by fourth-year guard Seth Trimble. But the program’s strongest addition this year is five-star freshman Caleb Wilson.
Wilson was the No. 3 ranked power forward in the 2025-26 class, according to 247Sports. The Atlanta native chose to play his college basketball in Chapel Hill over offers from Ohio State, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Duke, Kansas and more.
On Monday, Wilson was named one of 50 players to make the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List.
“Cdub among the best. 1 of 50 players on the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List,” UNC basketball wrote on X.
Loading twitter content…
“University of North Carolina freshman Caleb Wilson is one of 50 players nationally to earn a spot on the preseason watch list for the 2025-26 Naismith Trophy, given to the national player of the year,” the program wrote in a press release. “Wilson, a 6-10 forward from Atlanta, will play his first official collegiate game tonight when the 25th-ranked Tar Heels host Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. in the Smith Center on ACC Network.”
Wilson is one of eight freshmen to make the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List, alongside big names like Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa.
Wilson led the way for the Tar Heels in their 95-53 preseason victory over Winston-Salem State last week, scoring a game-high 23 points on 9-13 shooting from the field. The 6-foot-10 forward also recorded 10 rebounds and two assists in his 23 minutes of action.
After Monday night’s season opener against Central Arkansas, North Carolina will turn its attention toward a highly-anticipated matchup against the No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks on Friday.