UNC guard Cole Anthony says his mind is made up on his return to the court
North Carolina point guard Cole Anthony says he’s coming back.
Anthony tweeted Monday night that he was tired of “seeing all this talk,” and that is mind is made up.
“Can’t wait to get back on the court with my brothers @UNC_Basketball #soon,” he tweeted. Anthony did not specify when he would return.
While Anthony has maintained on social media that he’s close to returning, it doesn’t appear he’ll play in UNC’s game against Virginia Tech on Wednesday.
UNC coach Roy Williams did not have an update on Anthony’s status Monday. But he did say that Anthony has not practiced.
“We have no idea guys,” Williams said in the ACC’s teleconference on Monday. “The doctors tell us when. He has not practiced yet is all I can tell you.”
In the past, and as recently as this season, Williams has not allowed his athletes to play in a game before they’ve been able to practice. When players miss time, often times their conditioning takes a hit. And the Tar Heels love to push the ball.
Anthony, who is averaging 19.1 points per game, 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists, has not played since Dec. 8 against Virginia.
On Dec. 16, he underwent an arthroscopic knee procedure to repair a partial tear in his meniscus, and was projected to miss four to six weeks. It has been five weeks since that procedure.
On Saturday, Williams said that the staff will continue to be cautious with Anthony’s return.
“We’re not trying to push him or anything like that,” Williams said. “We want to make sure we’re doing the right thing, and he’ll be out there when he should be out there.”
After Virginia Tech, UNC will play Miami on Jan. 25 and N.C. State on Jan. 27.
Continued struggles on offense
UNC (8-9, 1-5 ACC) enters its road game against Virginia Tech on a four-game losing streak and is 2-6 without Anthony. All four recent losses have come against teams in the bottom half of the conference standings.
The Tar Heels’ tumble, and the likeliness that they will miss the NCAA tournament, have raised questions about whether Anthony, who is a projected lottery pick in the 2020 NBA draft, should return.
The Tar Heels have struggled especially on offense. Against Pitt, the Tar Heels scored only 52 points, shot 32 percent from the floor overall and turned it over 16 times. As a result, it has also hurt their defense. While Pitt struggled in the second half against UNC, the Panthers shot just under 50 percent in the first half and led the Tar Heels at halftime by 20 points.
Virginia Tech (13-5, 4-3 ACC), which is coached by former Wofford coach Mike Young, is tied for fifth in the conference, and has wins over N.C. State, Clemson, Syracuse and Wake Forest.
The Hokies are solid on defense, but not great. They have the 73rd most efficient defense in the country, allowing 95.5 points per 100 possessions. By comparison, the Tar Heels have allowed 96.9 points per 100 possessions, which is 88th in the country.
Against the Hokies, opponents are shooting 30.3 percent from 3 and 47.9 percent from 2.
Size advantage
The Hokies are one of the shortest teams in the country, which may be an opportunity for the Tar Heels to use their size advantage.
UNC freshman forward Armando Bacot, who is 6-10, 232 pounds, is averaging 16 points and 8.3 rebounds in his last three games. The Tar Heels have made a concerted effort in recent games to get him the ball.
UNC junior forward Garrison Brooks, who is 6-9, 235 pounds, has been the Tar Heels’ best player recently.
He is averaging 19.2 points per game and 11.2 rebounds in his last five games.
The Tar Heels’ have been at their best when they’ve dominated on the offensive glass. The Tar Heels did that in the second half against the Panthers and outscored them by six after halftime.
“We’ve got to start better in the first half, defend better, just execute and do what the coaches tell us,” UNC senior guard Brandon Robinson said Saturday. “We’ve just got to keep getting better.”
“We’ve had parts in these last couple of games that we can build off of. Getting to the offensive glass was a big difference for us. I just think we’ve got to keep building and keep working.”
UNC at Virginia Tech
When: 8 p.m., Wednesday
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va.
Watch: ACC Network
This story was originally published January 21, 2020 at 11:45 AM.
