Who’s healthier? Injuries to play a role in first UNC and NC State matchup
When North Carolina guard Cole Anthony was sidelined with a knee injury in mid-December, every N.C. State fan did the math and figured the freshman star would be back for Monday’s matchup with the Wolfpack in Raleigh.
N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts has his own thoughts on the topic.
“I don’t know what Cole’s situation is,” Keatts said after N.C. State’s 64-58 loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday. “I’m different than our fan base, I don’t think that he’s playing on Monday.”
Anthony, UNC’s leading scorer (19.1 points per game) in nine games played, had surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus in his right knee Dec. 17. He was expected to miss four-to-six weeks. Monday is the six-week mark from the surgery.
There is no official change in Anthony’s status for Monday’s game (7 p.m., ESPN), the first of two this season between the rivals.
N.C. State (14-6, 5-4 ACC) comes into the game trying to get back on track after a hiccup at Georgia Tech. UNC (9-10, 2-6) is coming off of a 94-71 win over Miami, its first bit of real good news since Anthony’s injury.
Roy Williams passed Dean Smith on the NCAA career wins list Saturday on his sixth try. Williams has a long track record of success against the Wolfpack, the ACC school he dislikes the most.
As UNC’s coach, he has a 30-4 record against N.C. State (and five more wins from his time as Kansas’ coach). Even in Williams’ lone NIT season (2009-10), the Heels swept N.C. State to account for 40 percent of their ACC wins (5-11).
The return of Anthony would certainly provide a boost for UNC. The projected NBA lottery pick indicated on Twitter last week that he intended to play again for the Tar Heels this season. He did not play against Miami and has been unable to practice with the team.
UNC has gone 3-7 without Anthony, who hasn’t played since a 56-47 loss at Virginia on Dec. 8.
Keatts has been occupied by his own team’s injury concerns. The Wolfpack has had its complete lineup for only three of its nine ACC games. Guards Markell Johnson and C.J. Bryce missed key losses earlier in the season on the injured list.
Forwards Manny Bates and Pat Andree missed Saturday’s loss at Georgia Tech. Keatts said that Bates, who leads the ACC in blocked shots, was making progress and the third-year coach was hopeful the freshman big man would be able to play against UNC.
Bates missed two-and-a-half games with a concussion. Andree has missed the past two games with an ankle injury.
N.C. State had a three-game ACC winning streak snapped at Georgia Tech. Keatts wasn’t pleased with how his team closed out the game.
The plays it made in last Monday’s win at Virginia were missing in the final moments against the Yellow Jackets.
UNC broke its five-game losing skid with the home win over Miami. The Tar Heels had lost six straight ACC games, going back to the UVa loss, for the first time in school history.
Tar Heels senior guard Brandon Robinson returned after missing the Virginia Tech loss Wednesday, after he was involved in a car accident, to score 29 points and lead the rout of the Hurricanes. Robinson missed the first four games of the season with a foot injury. Promising freshman guard Jeremiah Francis has been in and out of the lineup with a knee injury. Freshman guard Anthony Harris was able to play five games before his season was ended by a knee injury.
Monday’s game might come down to which side has enough healthy players.
With the short turn-around between games, Keatts said Saturday night that he had not started his pre-game preparation for UNC.
“You know me, I haven’t paid much attention to them,” Keatts said Saturday. “I do know they had a good win today. I haven’t looked at them at all. I haven’t had a chance to really watch tape on those guys.”
UNC at NC State
When: Monday, 7 p.m.
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh
Watch: ESPN
Listen: WRAL-101.5, WTKK-106.1, WXRC-95.7, WBT-99.3
UNC (9-10, 2-6 ACC)
G Leaky Black 5.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg
G Andrew Platek 4.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg
G Brandon Robinson 13.3 ppg, 3.1 apg
F Garrison Brooks 15.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg
F Armando Bacot 10.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg
NC State (14-6, 5-4 ACC)
G Markell Johnson 13.2 ppg, 6.5 apg
G Devon Daniels 11.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg
G C.J. Bryce 13.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg
F D.J. Funderburk 12.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg
F Manny Bates 5.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg
This story was originally published January 27, 2020 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Who’s healthier? Injuries to play a role in first UNC and NC State matchup."
