Caleb Wilson Shines Despite Tarheels Loss to Michigan State

Even though the North Carolina Tarheels lost to the Michigan State Spartans 74-58 on Thursday night, freshman Caleb Wilson managed to steal some of the spotlight.

The game, held in Fort Myers, began with Wilson making quite an impact. He thrilled the crowd when he seized a loose ball.

Early in the first half, he dribbled to the other side of the court and executed a dunk over Michigan State’s towering center, Carson Cooper, who stands at 6-foot-11.

Wilson’s impressive performance included two dunks among his total of 18 points over 33 minutes of play—along with two steals and seven rebounds.

This 6-foot-10 forward from Atlanta had already earned recognition as Georgia’s 2025 Gatorade Player of the Year and was a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy. He had also participated in notable events like the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic before joining the Tarheels.

Interestingly, despite this strong performance, the team struggled against Michigan State, who currently sits in 11th place. For Michigan State, Jeremy Fears Jr. led with 19 points, supported by Cooper’s 14 points and Cam Ward’s 11 points off the bench.

Wilson has consistently shown his skill this season, scoring at least 15 points in six of the team’s seven games. His recent 18 points also contributed to a win against San Bonaventure earlier in the week.

After this matchup, Michigan State improved to an undefeated 7-0, while North Carolina fell to 6-1 for the season.