UNC will have two players out against Wake Forest, possibly three, depending on Nassir Little
When graduate senior Cam Johnson left with an ankle injury in the second half of North Carolina’s game against Virginia on Monday, the Tar Heels had few scoring options.
UNC freshman wing Nassir Little had also gone down with an ankle injury in the first half and did not return. Freshman forward/guard Leaky Black missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained ankle, and sophomore forward Sterling Manley had missed his 12th consecutive game with a sore knee.
And suddenly, health had become the biggest threat to a team with championship aspirations.
“Needless to say, when you have Leaky, Cam and Nassir, that’s three guys that are in the same boat — all three perimeter players,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “They test your depth.”
After leading by seven points with eight minutes remaining and two of their best scoring options out, the Tar Heels struggled to make shots. Virginia ended the game on a 21-6 run to beat UNC 69-61 at the Dean Smith Center, snapping the Tar Heels’ seven-game winning streak.
The Tar Heels have seven games left in the regular season — two against Duke — before the ACC tournament begins on March 12.
UNC (19-5, 9-2) will play Wake Forest (9-14, 2-9) in Winston Salem on Saturday at noon.
Williams said Johnson will play, but Black and Manley will both be out. Black has not practiced yet, and Manley has not practiced full court.
Little, UNC’s sixth man, who is averaging 9.8 points per game and 4.5 rebounds, appears to be a game time decision. He has not practiced full court either.
“We’re going to practice here in 57 minutes and we’re going to see what he does today,” Williams said of Little Friday afternoon.
Williams said the challenge with having so many injured players is not being able to prepare properly for the opposing team. The competition isn’t the same practicing with walk-ons, he said.
“If Cam and Nassir, for example, are going against each other that’s a lot better competition and getting them trained ready for the kind of competition you’re going to face in the game,” Williams said. “Our walk-ons do a great job. Pick any walk-on, they are not as athletic as Nassir, they probably don’t shoot as well as Cam, or he wouldn’t be a walk-on.
“We do everything with our walk-ons,” he added. “But it’s the fact of what kind of preparation and the people you’re competing against in practice.”
Despite UNC’s loss to Virginia, the Tar Heels are still tied for second in the ACC standings with Virginia and one game behind Duke for first-place.
About Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons have struggled this season. Their 2-9 conference record is 14th out of 15 teams in the ACC. However, they do a couple things well that could present trouble for the Tar Heels.
Wake Forest is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country. The Demon Deacons rebound 34.3 percent of their misses, which is ranked 31st in the country. The Tar Heels are ranked No. 9 in the country at keeping opponents off the offensive glass. Against the Tar Heels, teams are rebounding 23.3 percent of their misses.
But the Tar Heels have slipped occasionally. Miami outrebounded UNC last week, and nearly pulled off the upset if not for senior forward Luke Maye’s heroics. Both Louisville in January and Kentucky in December outrebounded UNC and won those games.
The Tar Heels are 1-2 when they are outrebounded.
The Demon Deacons also get to the free throw line at a high rate. Their 39.2 percent free throw rate is 32nd in the country. If the Tar Heels get in foul trouble, they could be in trouble with a short bench.
Johnson said this week’s game is one he and his teammates really want to win, especially after the loss to Virginia.
“We want to come out and not let what happened on Monday, happen tomorrow afternoon,” Johnson said.
UNC vs Wake Forest
When: Saturday, 12 p.m.
Where: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem
TV: Raycom Sports
