CHAPEL HILL — Sophomore forward Harrison Barnes is suffering from a sprained ankle, and his status is in doubt for North Carolina's home game Wednesday night against Wisconsin, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said Monday night during his weekly radio show.

Barnes sustained the injury on Saturday night during North Carolina's 90-80 defeat against Nevada-Las Vegas. He left the game with 6 minutes, 13 seconds to play in the first half but returned about three minutes later and finished with 15 points in 30 minutes.

"If we had a game today, he would not have played," Williams said.

He said he hopes Barnes will be able to play against the No. 9 Badgers, who will visit the Smith Center as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Through six games, Barnes has led North Carolina with an average of 17.3 points.

If Barnes is unable to play Wednesday, Williams said sophomore guard Reggie Bullock and freshman guard P.J. Hairston would receive more playing time. Hairston averages 9.7 points and Bullock 7.8.

Barnes seemed to be affected by the injury Saturday night, when he made 6 of his 16 field goal attempts and struggled to find an offensive rhythm during the second half. The loss against UNLV dropped the Tar Heels from No. 1 in The Associated Press rankings to No. 5 in this week's poll.

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