UNC's Anthony, Black Out Indefinitely With Injuries; Manley Out For Season
North Carolina will be shorthanded on Sunday, and perhaps for several games.
Early Sunday afternoon, the Tar Heels announced star freshman guard Cole Anthony will be sidelined indefinitely with a right knee injury while sophomore wing Leaky Black will sit out with sprained right foot that he suffered in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Both Anthony and Black will be reevaluated regularly, with their statuses to be decided on a game-by-game basis.
Meanwhile, junior forward Sterling Manley, who hasn't played this season, underwent another surgery on his ailing knees and will not play this season.
In losing Anthony and Black, Carolina will be without its top two ballhandlers on Sunday.
In their absence, it's possible Roy Williams will look to freshmen Jeremiah Francis and Anthony Harris to handle point guard duties while K.J. Smith, Brandon Robinson, Christian Keeling and Andrew Platek might also see time directing the Tar Heel offense.
The biggest immediate challenge for Carolina will be replacing Anthony's impact, as the freshman is averaging 19.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals while accounting for nearly one third of the Tar Heels field goal attempts.
Williams said on Friday that he also believes Anthony has been Carolina's second-best defender this season behind big man Garrison Brooks.
In Black, the Tar Heels lose a versatile defender who's capable of playing four offensive positions.
In their absence, expect Armando Bacot to see a larger share of opportunities in an offense that has run more smoothly when the Tar Heels have worked the ball inside.
Bacot (10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds) and Brooks (11.6 points, 8.1 rebounds) could both be in for big days against a Wofford team that features just one player taller than 6-7 in its rotation.
