(News and Observer photo)
North Carolina star Harrison Barnes, who turned an ankle in the Tar Heels’ loss to UNLV over the weekend, is expected to play tonight against Wisconsin.
The ACC pre-season Player of the Year practiced Tuesday and should be on the floor in Chapel Hill when Roy Williams’ team, which fell from first to fifth in the AP poll, will be on the floor against the Badgers for a 9:30 p.m. tipoff in an ACC/Big Ten Challenge game on ESPN.
Excerpt:
Barnes, the fifth-ranked Tar Heels’ leading scorer and a preseason All America, rolled his ankle while scrambling on the sideline for a loose ball during UNC’s 90-80 loss to UNLV in the Las Vegas Invitational title game. He immediately flashed the tired signal and went to the bench. Although he waived off the trainer, he had a towel over his head for several minutes, before eventually returning to the game.
He left Orleans Arena on crutches — a move, a team spokesman said at the time, that was a precautionary measure. Sunday morning, when the team left Las Vegas, the crutches were gone. Coach Roy Williams said Tuesday that X-rays were negative.
Related links:
- So what did happen to North Carolina in Vegas?
- ESPN starts a daily North Carolina basketball blog
- Does the UNC loss help or hurt Kentucky?
