CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – NC State sophomore guard Paul McNeil Jr. earned Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honors, and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson notched the ACC Rookie of the Week distinction for games played from December 15-21, as announced Monday.
Wilson was tabbed ACC Rookie of the Week for the second time this season (November 3), while McNeil Jr. picked up his first ACC Player of the Week honor.
ACC men’s basketball weekly honors are nominated by the respective schools and determined by a vote of an 18-member media panel.
Paul McNeil Jr., So., G, NC State (Rockingham, North Carolina)
• Averaged 33.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in wins over Texas Southern and Ole Miss.
• Scored a career-high 47 points in the win over Texas Southern, making a school-record and ACC-record tying 11 3-pointers.
• His final stat line was 12-of-18 shooting, 11-of-17 from three and 12-of-12 from the foul line. He also added a career-high 10 rebounds as he posted his first career double-double.
• His 47 points are tied with Sammy Ranzino (Jan. 23, 1951, vs. Virginia Tech) for the fifth-most points in a single game in program history and are the most by an ACC player since NC State’s Rodney Monroe had 48 against Georgia Tech on Jan. 13, 1991.
• McNeil, Jr., broke the school record for 3-pointers made that had stood since Dec. 21, 1989, when Monroe made nine against UNC Asheville. It also tied the ACC record for 3-pointers in a game.
• He closed the week with a team-best 19 points as the Wolfpack beat Ole Miss, 76-62, in Greensboro.
Caleb Wilson, Fr., F, North Carolina (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Averaged 20.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks in wins over ETSU and Ohio State. They were his third and fourth consecutive 20-point games.
• Was 15-for-22 (68.2%) from the floor
• Had 20 points and eight rebounds in the win over ETSU
• Blocked a potential game-winning putback attempt by Ohio State at the buzzer to preserve UNC's 71-70 win over the Buckeyes
• Scored 16 of his game-high 20 points against OSU in the second half
• Also grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds, his season high and equaling the most by a Tar Heel this season.
2025-26 ACC Players of the Week
Nov. 10 – Caleb Wilson, Fr., F, North Carolina; Neoklis Avdalas, Fr., G, Virginia Tech
Nov. 17 – Cameron Boozer, Fr., F, Duke; Mikel Brown Jr., Fr., G, Louisville
Nov. 24 – B.J. Edwards, Sr., G, SMU
Dec. 1 – Cameron Boozer, Fr., F, Duke
Dec. 8 – Cameron Boozer, Fr., F, Duke
Dec. 15 – Myles Colvin, Jr., G, Wake Forest
Dec. 22 – Paul McNeil Jr., So., G, NC State
2025-26 ACC Rookie of the Week
Nov. 10 – Caleb Wilson, Fr., F, North Carolina; Neoklis Avdalas, Fr., G, Virginia Tech
Nov. 17 – Cameron Boozer, Fr., F, Duke; Mikel Brown Jr., Fr., G, Louisville
Nov. 24 – Cameron Boozer, Fr., F, Duke
Dec. 1 – Cameron Boozer, Fr., F, Duke
Dec. 8 – Cameron Boozer, Fr., F, Duke
Dec. 15 – Neoklis Avdalas, Fr., G, Virginia Tech
Dec. 22 – Caleb Wilson, Fr., F, North Carolina