rwillett@newsobserver.com
UNC's Harrison Barnes (40) drives to the basket against Maryland's Pe'Shon Howard (21) using a screen by teammate John Henson in the first half.
North Carolina sophomore forward Harrison Barnes practiced somewhere between 20 and 25 minutes on Monday while he attempted to recover from a sprained ankle he suffered last week and re-injured on Saturday during the Tar Heels’ 83-74 victory at Maryland.
But for anyone doubting whether Barnes might play on Wednesday when No. 5 UNC hosts No. 10 Duke, he had a message: “My ankle’s great and I’ll be ready to go against Duke,” Barnes said Monday night during a guest appearance on Roy Williams’ radio show.
Barnes suffered a sprained left ankle during the Tar Heels’ 68-53 victory at Wake Forest last Tuesday night. He said he felt about 60 percent healthy entering the Maryland game on Saturday, but he finished with 18 points and made two important shots during the second half.
“I think he showed some big-time toughness,” Williams said.
Barnes’ 3-pointer from the left side gave UNC the lead for good with about nine minutes to play on Saturday. Then Barnes made a jumper with about a minute to play that stretched the Heels’ lead to six.
Barnes said he experienced considerable pain during the game against Maryland, and said it felt like he’d been shot in the ankle. Even so, he was in better shape following the victory at Maryland than he was after the Heels’ victory at Wake Forest.
“He had less swelling and less pain after the [Maryland] game than he did after the Wake Forest game,” Williams said.
Still, Williams was cautious with Barnes during practice on Monday. UNC practiced for about an hour, Williams said, and Barnes worked for less than half of that time. Even so, Barnes spoke with confidence that he’d be ready to play on Wednesday.
Read more here: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/uncnow/unc-forward-harrison-barnes-ill-be-ready-to-go-against-duke#storylink=cpy
