Caleb Wilson finds his voice as UNC regains its footing against Notre Dame

Caleb Wilson had plenty of time to ponder.

The flight back was long. Four hours and 44 minutes, to be exact. After dropping two straight games to unranked opponents on the West Coast last week, North Carolina’s charter flight departed Oakland International Airport at 5:33 p.m. PT on Saturday and arrived at 1:19 a.m. ET on Sunday.

So what did Wilson use that time to reflect on?

“I just thought I had to be more of a leader, honestly,” Wilson said after Wednesday’s 91–69 win over Notre Dame. “Sometimes, when you’re playing, you’re tired as I don’t know what. And you just going through a lot… so, for me, it was just about making sure I was mentally good and then also just playing as hard as I can.”

Wilson did that on Wednesday, delivering yet another complete performance: 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, seven rebounds and a team-high five assists as No. 22 North Carolina pulled off a runaway win over the Fighting Irish. He dunked, of course. He hit a 3-pointer — his first since a Dec. 16 win over East Tennessee State. He passed well out of double teams. He flashed the footwork. At one point in the second half, his steal and breakaway dunk prompted his teammates on the court to applaud as he ran back on defense.

None of this is new to anyone who’s tuned into the Caleb Wilson experience this season. But what Hubert Davis shouted out after the game is something you won’t see pop up on any postgame highlight reel.

“Somebody that stepped up dramatically in leadership was Caleb,” Davis said. “Last couple days, including tonight. He’s one of the guys that was more vocal.”

He’s been more vocal in practices this week, the head coach said. And, on Wednesday, just before the team took the floor for warmups — as Davis wrapped up his last pregame words to the Tar Heels — Wilson spoke up.

Coach, can I say something?

“And he went after the team,” Davis said. “He said, ‘Look let’s go out there and compete.’ He’s never done that before, and so I really like that from him.”

‘My time here is limited’

The first half at Cal on Saturday was choppy, tense and emotional. And, crucially, UNC struggled to defend — particularly on the perimeter.

Soon after ripping off an 8–0 personal run to cut the deficit to seven, a timeout finally gave Wilson a chance to stop moving. With just under seven minutes left before halftime, the freshman walked straight to the bench, his eyes locked ahead and jaw set.

As soon as he took his seat on the bench, he started yelling.

Wilson leaned forward, directing his voice toward his teammates, the frustration of the previous possessions spilling out in real time.

“For me, honestly, I just know my time here is limited, and I want to make the most of it,” Wilson said Wednesday when asked about the sequence. “Every game matters to me… so, honestly, I was yelling at my teammates about, like, we’re North Carolina, bro. We shouldn’t be losing to Cal. That’s just how I feel. I feel like that’s how everybody feels.”

After the loss, on the long flight back to North Carolina, Wilson and his teammates immediately crunched the film.

“I think almost everybody was watching the film back on their computers or iPads, just seeing everything we did,” junior Henri Veesaar said. “We could see that our effort and intensity just wasn’t there. There was a lot of lack of focus. So it was all controllable that we can control every time we play. It wasn’t that they beat us, it was more we beat ourselves.”

Wilson wasn’t immune in this respect.

The freshman pointed to the second possession against Cal as an example of what needed to change. The Golden Bears scored on a roll and wide-open lob to the basket, a play Wilson said he misread by focusing on a perimeter shooter instead of providing the low tag on the big man, who easily dunked it home.

“I was like, face-guarding the dude, number two, because I thought he was gonna come off a pin down [screen],” Wilson said Wednesday. “But it’s not my job… I should have been there to tag.”

Wilson said he realized on the flight back from California that the Tar Heels were being hamstrung by missed details — defensive rotations, not crashing the offensive glass, screening issues — and collective habits that win games.

“Once we were able to focus on that and really, like, get that in our heads, it really just changed our mentality and our mindset,” Wilson said Wednesday.

The film further exposed the mistakes. The frustration was self-evident. But fixing the details wasn’t enough on its own. Wilson also realized he required a different adjustment — one that had nothing to do with defensive positioning.

He had to start talking.

‘I want guys to speak up’

The irony, perhaps, is that Wilson had to find his voice.

The freshman is anything but reserved. He’s gregarious, curious and seemingly comfortable in any room he walks into — the kind of personality Davis has said could win a UNC student body president race without much effort. Wilson reads and talks about Stoic philosophy — he’s currently devouring “Breakfast with Seneca,” per the recommendation of his high school principal — easily forms relationships with strangers at community service outings and is a constant source of laughter on the team.

But leadership on the floor required something different. Davis said he and Wilson spent some time together in the head coach’s office over the last couple of days, discussing the topic.

In Davis’ own college days, leadership was tied to seniority.

“When I was in school, I think maybe I said one word my freshman year,” Davis joked Wednesday. “I think my second year, I maybe said five... when you became a senior, you were almost automatically gifted that leadership position, whether that was something that was in your personality or not.”

The environment is different now, Davis said. Early departures to the NBA and the transfer portal mean players can’t just wait to inherit leadership roles.

Davis said he encourages every player to lead in their own way, regardless of age, class or minutes.

“I want guys to speak up. I want guys to be leaders,” he said. “And I’ve enjoyed Caleb being more vocal the last three days. I think it’s really ignited our team. He has a personality that encourages guys. He’s a great teammate. He lights up the room every time he steps in it. And now that he’s using his voice, it’s really motivating the guys in a good way.”

That much was evident on Wednesday night.

Wilson led and the Tar Heels followed.

After a perimeter-heavy first half in which 15 of UNC’s first 20 shots came from 3-point range, the Tar Heels recommitted to the paint after halftime. Wilson and Veesaar — who combined for 37 points and 19 rebounds — punished Notre Dame inside. North Carolina hit 18 of 27 two-point shots and shot over 50% for the game.

Notre Dame shot 6-for-12 from three in the first half, then just 2-for-13 after the break as North Carolina held the Irish to 36% shooting overall.

Communication — according to Davis and many of his players — was the difference.

“When we went to our ‘small’ lineup, where Caleb is at the five, we did a much better job of communicating in the second half,” Davis said.

North Carolina needed this win. Not just in the standings — though improving to 3–3 in the ACC and staying perfect at home mattered — but in identity. The Tar Heels had drifted defensively, losing their edge on the road. Wednesday offered a course correction.

With Virginia looming on the road this Saturday, the real test is consistency. But for one night, the Tar Heels’ footing felt firmer. And, this time, Wilson wasn’t just leading with his play.

He was leading with his voice.

This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Caleb Wilson finds his voice as UNC regains its footing against Notre Dame."