X-Rays Negative for UNC's Armando Bacot; Likely Out For a Few Weeks

The Carolina big man will be sidelined for a few weeks

North Carolina got a small bit of good news on Friday, as X-rays on Armando Bacot's left ankle came back negative after the injury he suffered in Wednesday's loss to Ohio State.

As of now, there's no timetable for Bacot's recovery, with a Carolina spokesman saying it will likely be a few weeks before the freshman big man is able to return for the Tar Heels.

"He is walking, he’s not on crutches," Roy Williams said. "It ballooned up; it was big. I just don’t see any way in the world he can play."

In terms of an immediate return, Williams termed it as "99.9999 percent" unlikely that Bacot would be able to return for Sunday's game at Virginia. (4 p.m., ACC Network)

The fact that the ankle wasn't broken was good news, as it appeared Bacot could have suffered a significant injury on Wednesday.

After tipping in a shot on an offensive rebound at the 12:48 mark of the first half of Carolina's loss to Ohio State, Bacot's left foot landed on top of that of a Buckeye defender and the freshman big man immediately went to the ground in obvious pain.

At the time of the injury, Bacot had two points and four rebounds in seven minutes, hitting 1 of his 2 field goal attempts. He also managed a block and steal before being helped off the floor, unable to put any weight on his left leg.

Williams admitted that there's little the Tar Heels can do to make up for Bacot, who's averaging 10.5 points and 8.9 rebounds.

Reserves Brandon Huffman and Walker Miller both stepped into the lineup briefly on Wednesday, but it will largely fall on Justin Pierce to play the power forward spot alongside Garrison Brooks.

"We don’t have any options," Williams said."It’s Justin, but we don’t have any options."