The injury bug continues to bite No. 24 North Carolina - hard. Starting point guard Larry Drew II and starting forward Ed Davis did not practice on Monday, basketball coach Roy Williams said.
Drew hyperextended his right knee, and Davis sprained his left ankle during Saturday's loss to Georgia Tech. A team spokesman said Drew is expected to play Wednesday against Wake Forest; Davis' status has not been determined.
They are just the latest injuries in a slate of twists, pulls, breaks and pains that have sidelined five other Tar Heels for at least a game.
Senior Marcus Ginyard missed four games because of a sore foot, then a sprained ankle; freshman Dexter Strickland missed a game because of a hamstring injury; junior starter Will Graves and reserve sophomore Justin Watts each missed a game because of sprained ankles; and reserve forward Tyler Zeller is out four to six weeks because of a stress fracture in a foot.
"It's the most unsettled team I've had, just the nagging injuries, and taking people out of games," Williams said. "The last three years, we've had more injuries than any other five or six years that I've ever had as a coach. So lineup changes have been a lot, just because of that right there."
Drew's injury could mean more minutes for Strickland at point guard. If Davis can't play, freshman Travis Wear would likely make his first start of the season.
The latest injuries come at a bad time. UNC dropped 12 slots to No. 24 in The Associated Press poll on Monday after losing two straight games and three of its past four.
