TALLAHASSEE, FLA. - It was a tough task for North Carolina: surviving with its point guard injured on the bench, persevering with its best defender slowed by turf toe, winning despite a frustrating first half from its best player.

But after beating Florida State 84-73 in overtime on Sunday, the No. 4 Tar Heels may face a tougher challenge: preparing for Wednesday's ACC basketball showdown against third-ranked Duke with the status of ballhandler Ty Lawson in question.

"It's a type of ankle sprain that I haven't had before," Lawson said after limping off the court at the Tucker Civic Center. "It feels real high, it affects the way I run ... it's pretty bad.

"... I know I'm not practicing tomorrow, maybe I'll practice Tuesday, we'll see how it goes. I don't even know about Wednesday; it's probably a game-time decision."

Carolina (21-1, 6-1 ACC) was leading 8-3 with 16:12 left in the first half -- with four points from Lawson -- when the sophomore lost control of the ball on a drive. He and Seminoles forward Ryan Reid went after it and fell to the floor, twisting Lawson's left ankle.

"It was just the beginning of the game, trying to send a message, so I just went after the ball real aggressive,'' Reid said. "... I'm not the strongest guy, but I just tried to snatch it away. We both went down, and it happened that he got hurt."

With Lawson out, the Tar Heels struggled to hold on to the ball (tying a season high with 21 turnovers) and had trouble finding a way to feed it to All-America forward Tyler Hansbrough (whose first field goal came midway through the second half).

Starting small forward Marcus Ginyard, the team's best stopper, was playing with a left big toe sprained so badly he had missed two days of practice, and he was stomping around in a walking boot after spending time guarding Jason Rich (22 points) and Isaiah Swann (12 points).

Then there was the end of regulation, when UNC finally -- excruciatingly -- built a 66-58 lead with 2:12 left, only to have the Seminoles go on a 9-1 run, capped by a Reid 3-pointer that forced overtime with seven seconds left.

The 3-point attempt was the first of Reid's career.

At that point, UNC coach Roy Williams said, "I did challenge them. I said, 'You've toughed it out the whole game. Let's see if you can tough it out some more, here.' I do believe that the mental part of it was the most important part of the game today."

In overtime, that mental focus fed UNC's offensive prowess, especially from Hansbrough, who scored eight of his team-high 22 points during the five-minute extra period. Part of his late-game success, Hansbrough said, was adjusting to the spacing with Quentin Thomas running the point instead of Lawson.

"With Ty's penetration, I always knew when to clear out ... and Ty always finds me," Hansbrough said. "It was a change, but Quentin stepped up."

Thomas finished with a career highs in points (nine) and minutes (36). Junior Danny Green (19 points) tied a career high with four 3-pointers.

Hansbrough's 21 rebounds also were a career high, and he is the first Tar Heel since Sean May in 2005 to record at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game. He also set a UNC career record for made free throws, passing Lennie Rosenbluth, who had 603 from 1954 to 1957.

The win was UNC's seventh straight over FSU (13-10, 2-6).

But with the victory came concern. Williams said he didn't know the extent of Lawson's injury.

When Lawson missed a game this season because of a sprained right ankle, UNC had the cushion using of junior point guard Bobby Frasor, a former starter. But he is out with a torn knee ligament.

It could be a tough situation.

Like Sunday.

"I couldn't be prouder of my kids, and hopefully, it will mean a great deal to them when they realize that when things aren't pretty -- when we're not flying up and down the court and high-fiving and dunking -- that you can still find a way to win,'' Williams said. "Tiger [Woods] wins a lot of times without his 'A' game, and his 'A' game is a 15-[shot] U.S. Open win, but to have a great year, you've got to win some games ugly, you've got to win some games on toughness, and I think Florida State pushed us as far as we could be pushed today."

Get $150+ in coupons in every Sunday N&O. Click here for convenient home delivery.