Caleb Wilson appeared close to returning for No. 17 North Carolina from a fracture to his left hand, just in time for the peak of March.Instead, the star freshman and high-end NBA prospect is abruptly done for the season after suffering a new injury.The school announced Friday that Wilson will need surgery after breaking his right thumb in a non-contact drill suffered during Thursday's practice. The news comes on the eve of a second matchup with No. 1 Duke, less than a week from the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and roughly two weeks from the start of March Madness.It was a shocking change to Wilson's trajectory as the Tar Heels' scoring and rebounding leader inched his way back from the injury suffered in a Feb. 10 loss at Miami. He had been cleared for individual work late last week, and had shed his cast and was focusing on non-contact work like dribbling and shooting.Before Thursday's practice, coach Hubert Davis told reporters that Wilson was increasing his work but had yet to be cleared for 5-on-5 action. According to the school's release, Wilson was hurt while dunking later that day.The Tar Heels had gone 5-1 in his absence, including a home win against then-ranked Louisville and Tuesdays win against Clemson in UNCs home finale. And Wilson had been on the bench, eagerly jumping around and cheering on teammates with his left hand in the cast.Only now, the buzz that had built about Wilson's approaching return is gone.The 6-foot-10, 215-pound freshman from Atlanta was averaging team-highs of 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds, providing elite athleticism, intense competitiveness and go-go-go motor. He had also endeared himself to fans with his exuberant energy and public comments about wanting to make a mark in his time in Chapel Hill.He went out in his second game and dropped 24 points on 9-for-11 shooting in a win against Kansas and fellow top NBA prospect Darryn Peterson, saying afterward: I want to let the world know who I am for sure.And he was a standout in the first meeting against the rival Blue Devils. Wilson had 17 first-half points in a one-man show that helped the Tar Heels hang in the game early, finishing with 23 points in a win that came on Seth Trimble's last-second 3-pointer in an epic finish to the storied rivalry.Wilson was injured in the next game at Miami, coming as he closed out on Noam Dovrats 3-pointer from the top, with Dovrat hitting the shot while being fouled at the 5:34 mark and both players falling to the court. Wilson kept playing before checking out in the second half, then headed to the tunnel for evaluation by trainer Doug Halverson. He later returned with 8:47 remaining, his left wrist and palm area heavily taped as he finished with a season-low 12 points. The team said X-rays at the time were negative for a fracture, but additional imagining done after the team returned to Chapel Hill discovered the fracture in his left hand.That turned out to be his last action of the season, and his college career if he goes the expected one-and-done route with his high-lottery draft projection.The Tar Heels (24-6, 12-5) were locked into the No. 4 seed at next weeks ACC Tournament regardless of Saturday's outcome at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium in the regular-season finale. The Blue Devils have won seven straight since that Feb. 7 loss at UNC, a neutral-court win against then-No. 1 Michigan and last weekends 26-point win against now-No. 13 Virginia.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Ireland kept their Six Nations and Triple Crown title dreams alive with a hard-fought 27-17 bonus-point victory over Wales in Dublin on Friday evening.Andy Farrell's side crossed the whitewash four times to secure the crucial five points they needed, with Jacob Stockdale, Jack Crowley, Jack Conan and Jamie Osborne all touching down.It wasn't the dominant display Ireland produced when they dismantled England a fortnight ago, though. Wales made them work incredibly hard for every point.The win lifts Ireland to second in the table, just a single point behind leaders France, and keeps both their championship and Triple Crown aspirations very much alive.Wales refused to go quietly, though, and showed real character throughout the contest.Prop Rhys Carre produced a brilliant individual try his third of this year's tournament to bring the visitors right back into it before half-time, leaving just two points between the sides at the break.When Jack Conan extended Ireland's lead early in the second half, James Botham struck back to keep Welsh hopes flickering heading into the final quarter.The defeat means Steve Tandy's men have now gone 15 Six Nations matches without a win, but there were genuine signs of progress. Wales haven't won in Dublin since 2012.Stockdale was clearly moved by his try, admitting it meant a great deal after some difficult years."That was pretty special for me. It's been a hard few years and it's nice to get back on the scoresheet on this pitch and in front of these fans, I'm very thankful for it," he told ITV.The winger had nothing but praise for the Welsh effort, saying: "That felt like a proper Test match. "Wales brought a lot of physicality and they're a team on the rise, they're improving massively you saw that last week and today so fair play to them."He loved the physical battle, describing it as "a day for tackling."So what happens next? France travel to Murrayfield on Saturday to face Scotland, with kick-off at 2.10pm. If Les Bleus secure a bonus-point win, they'll wrap up the championship with a game to spare.Ireland's fate is therefore out of their own hands, but they'll be hoping Scotland can do them a favour before hosting the Scots themselves on March 14 in what would be a Triple Crown decider.Wales, meanwhile, will look to finally end their lengthy winless run when they welcome Italy to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff next weekend.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

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March has arrived, and no conference has more chaos than the Big Ten. In his latest NCAA Tournament projections, FOX Sports bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy outlines a league defined by elite talent at the top and multiple teams clinging to at-large hopes. No team has surged more than Michigan State. Winners of five straight, the Spartans have climbed from a No. 4 seed to a No. 2 seed in DeCourcys latest projections after taking care of business at home against Rutgers on Thursday. With a road matchup against rival Michigan to close out the regular season, Tom Izzo's team has a chance to cement its standing as a 2-seed. DeCourcy's "Last Four In" and "First Four Out" remain unchanged, while Cincinnati, Seton Hall, San Diego State and Oklahoma State have fallen to the "Next Four Out." With that, DeCourcy shares his latest NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament projections: EAST REGION SOUTH REGION MIDWEST REGION WEST REGION And its never too early to check in on the bubble. According to DeCourcy's projections, Ohio State, Santa Clara, VCU and New Mexico are the last four teams in the tournament, while Indiana, Auburn, Cal and Virginia Tech are the first four out. As for conference representation, the SEC leads the way with 10 teams, while the Big Ten has nine teams. The ACC and the Big 12 each have eight teams in DeCourcy's latest tournament projections. The Big East and the West Coast have three teams represented, while the Mountain West and Atlantic 10 have two teams. Selection Sunday is next weekend, and these projections will inevitably evolve. For now, DeCourcys latest bracket forecast offers a clear snapshot of whos rising, whos falling and which programs are already building the rsums theyll need when March Madness arrives.

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