ST. LOUIS — A fractured wrist seems likely to keep North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall out of tonight’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game against Ohio, and give the 13th-seeded Bobcats just that much more hope in pulling off another upset.
“Every day it’s getting better,” Marshall said as he prepared for the top-seeded Tar Heels’ Midwest Regional semifinal against Ohio Thursday night (7:47, TBS). “But it’s a day-to-day basis, whether I’m going to play. If we had to jump ball right now, I wouldn’t be playing.
“I don’t want to put my hand in danger of getting hurt,” he added. “Another big thing is I want to be able to help my team while I’m out there; if I can’t help my team while I’m out there, I’m not going to play.’’
AP
OUCH! North Carolina star point guard Kendall Marshall, who had right wrist surgery on Monday, is unlikely to play against Ohio in tonight’s Sweet 16 matchup.
The left-handed Marshall fractured his right wrist Sunday against Creighton and had surgery Monday to put a screw in it. He had his cast removed Wednesday and was wearing a removable splint yesterday. His status is up in the air.
“I really don’t know. I have a strong, strong inclination that he is not going to play,’’ North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. “If he comes in to my room tomorrow and says ‘My wrist feels great’, and he drops down to the floor and does 10 righthanded pushups on his right hand, then I’ll say I’ll probably play his rear end. But I don’t expect that to happen. I mean, the guy can’t brush his teeth right now.’’
If Marshall can’t play, North Carolina (31-5) has limited options at point guard in freshman Stilman White and senior Justin Watts. Watts is primarily a wing man, but he can play every position but center. White is a freshman reserve who has averaged 4.3 minutes and is bound for a Mormon mission after the school year is over. Either would be a matchup Ohio hopes to exploit.
Ohio (29-7) came into this tournament as a 300-to-1 long shot to win it all, But because Marshall is unlikely to play, its upset chances get better by the minute.
“We’re not offended because we are the 13 seed,” said D.J. Cooper, Ohio’s best player and the man who would be matched up with Marshall — or replacements White or Watts. “But nobody in our locker room feels like we’re a Cinderella team. We feel like we can compete with anybody on the national stage.
“[It’s] no different,” he added. “We’re just going to prepare regardless. We’re going to prepare as if he’s playing. We don’t know if he’s playing for sure or not, but we’re going to compete regardless and play our best.’’
It remains to be seen if that will be good enough against North Carolina. The Bobcats have gotten to this point because of a frenetic defense that’s fourth in the nation in steals and sixth in turnover margin. But an up-tempo game may play into the hands of the talented Tar Heels.
Though North Carolina got back 6-foot-11 John Henson last Sunday to pair with 7-footer Tyler Zeller, Cooper could give it a backcourt edge. Last year, Cooper joined Jason Kidd and Eddie Gill as the only players since 1993-94 to average 15 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.
“Our guys don’t see themselves as a 13 seed or a Cinderella story,’’ said Ohio coach John Croce, a former North Carolina State assistant. “Our guys really believe in our system, in one another, in themselves. They believe in their ability to win games and they believe in our staff’s ability to prepare them to win games.’’
brian.lewis@nypost.com
North Carolina, North Carolina, Kendall Marshall, Ohio, Bobcats online, Bobcats, Marshall, Justin Watts
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