rwillett@newsobserver.com
UNC's P.J. Hairston (15) reacts to a three point basket by teammate Reggie Bullock.
North Carolina coach Roy Williams might have assumed before the season that the Tar Heels' depth would be the least of his concerns. But as injuries have mounted, he said Monday depth is "not quite what we hoped it would be."
Leslie McDonald, a junior guard, hasn't played all season while recovering from a knee injury he suffered during the summer. Dexter Strickland suffered a season-ending knee injury in a victory at Virginia Tech on Jan. 19. On Saturday, P.J. Hairston sat out the victory against then-No. 19 Virginia with a foot injury.
Hairston, a freshman, became the third UNC shooting guard to miss a game because of an injury this season. Williams said during the weekly ACC teleconference that UNC's medical staff would evaluate Hairston's injured left foot and determine how much - if any - he can participate in practice this week.
Hairston's status for the game against Miami on Wednesday night is unknown, Williams said.
Meanwhile, Harrison Barnes' left ankle, which he sprained in a victory at Wake Forest on Jan. 31, continues to improve, Williams said. Barnes suffered some swelling after Saturday's 70-52 victory over Virginia, but the ankle felt stronger than it did the previous week after a victory at Maryland, Williams said.
Duke displaying balance
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski extolled the virtues of his team's balance.
Miles Plumlee was the latest player to have his moment in the spotlight, grabbing 22 rebounds in the Blue Devils' 73-55 win over Maryland on Saturday. That was the most rebounds a Duke player has had since Krzyzewski arrived and the ninth-highest total in program history.
In the game before, Austin Rivers was the star, scoring 29 points in Duke's 85-84 win over then-No. 5 North Carolina.
"With our team, we're lucky enough that enough guys have done a good job - and then we've done a good job in parts of enough games to produce the record we have with the schedule we have," Krzyzewski said. "Really, overall, I think these kids have done an unbelievable job. Coming from the base that they had - none of them were star players for us last year."
While the Blue Devils might not be as consistent as Krzyzewski would like, they are 21-4 and 8-2 in the ACC heading into Thursday's home game against N.C. State. In the past two weeks, Duke has balanced perplexing efforts against Miami and St. John's with strong wins over North Carolina and Maryland.
