Barnes tests ankle

No. 5 North Carolina at Maryland, 4 p.m. today, ESPN

Not long before North Carolina's workout Friday, not even coach Roy Williams was sure whether Harrison Barnes would be able to practice. But the sophomore forward walked onto the Smith Center court without appearing to favor the left ankle he sprained during Tuesday's 68-53 victory at Wake Forest.

After sitting out Thursday's practice, Barnes told a team spokesman Friday that he planned to practice - at least on a limited basis - in the final workout before playing at Maryland today.

Williams said he was "confident" Barnes would be able to play against the Terrapins.

But, Williams said, "If he gets out there (in practice Friday) and it's hurting, he's not going to play. So that's not a part of it with me."

Barnes injured the ankle during the first half against Wake Forest. He left the game briefly, returned near the end of the first half and played most of the second.

"He really gutted it out," Williams said. "And he's shown some toughness in several situations, and that was one of them, because he was not very comfortable. But he did some good things for us."