Tar Heels may lose Marshall to wrist fracture

GREENSBORO — With its 87-73 win against Creighton in the third round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday, No. 1-seeded North Carolina extended its season and earned a spot in the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row.

UNC should have had every reason to celebrate. But looking around at the blank stares from motionless Tar Heels slumped in their locker room chairs after the game was over, it didn’t really appear that they had won at all.

A team spokesman reported just moments before that starting point guard Kendall Marshall fractured his right wrist during the second half of North Carolina’s win. His status for the rest of the tournament is unknown.

In a matter of minutes, the mood in the locker room went from joy to one of palpable despair.

“I just want to be here for my team,” Marshall said after pausing to compose himself. “We’ve gone through a lot, we’ve gotten through a lot. Obviously my teammates feel for me. I’m not hurt that I can’t play. I’m hurt that I can’t be there for my team. And I think my team feels that same pain.”

With 10:56 left in the second half, Marshall drove to the basket on a fast break for a right-handed layup and was fouled. With a loud thud, he hit the floor on the baseline just feet away from the UNC bench, bracing his fall with his right hand.

Demonstrating the kind of selflessness the point guard has shown all season, a shaken-up Marshall jumped right back up.

“I didn’t want my team to worry about me,” Marshall said. “So I tried to pop up as quick as possible and get to the free throw line. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, I just wanted to continue to play and find a way to win.”

And despite their point guard’s injury, the Tar Heels did just that.

Marshall finished the game with 18 points and 11 assists on 7-of-8 shooting — an effort that made him just the second Tar Heel to record back-to-back double doubles with points and assists in NCAA tournament play.

But after the contest, that accolade seemed just a little bittersweet.

The team spokesman said doctors would cast Marshall’s wrist Sunday, mostly to help manage the pain. He also noted that he anticipates the next medical report to come sometime Monday afternoon.

Coach Roy Williams said that if Marshall has to sit out, Stilman White or Justin Watts would likely replace him at point guard.

White averages just 4.3 minutes per game and shoots almost 24 percent from the field. Watts averages seven minutes per game and has recorded five assists and seven turnovers this season.

Those stat lines are a far cry from that of team-leading Marshall’s.

“He’s the best point guard I’ve ever played with,” forward Tyler Zeller said. “He makes everybody’s job easier. He runs the team.”

With Marshall’s status still unknown for UNC’s Sweet 16 matchup with No. 13-seeded Ohio, the Tar Heels put on brave faces and tried to remain positive after the game. Even Marshall, who shoots with his uninjured left hand, joked about how things could be a lot worse.

But beyond the facade, it was hard to get past the underlying sense of lost potential.

“When you go to the Sweet 16, it’s supposed to be a lot more fun than this,” Williams said.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.