PITTSBURGH – North Carolina fans will have to wait a little bit longer for the return of Cole Anthony, as the freshman sensation didn’t suit up for Saturday’s loss at Pittsburgh and there’s no exact time set for his re-entry into the lineup.
It will also take more time for freshman Jeremiah Francis to take the floor in a game without feeling some effects of a damaged knee that has bothered him for the last three seasons.
Anthony has been practicing with the Tar Heels and made the trip this weekend, but he was in street clothes as the Heels lost 66-52 at Pitt, dropping their fourth consecutive game and falling to 8-9 overall, including 1-5 in the ACC. In fact, UNC is 2-6 in the eight games Anthony has missed.
But, don’t expect UNC Coach Roy Williams to rush the probable lottery pick in next summer’s NBA draft into the lineup. Anthony, however, is making progress.
“I think so,” Williams said following the loss to the Panthers. “We said 4-6 weeks and it’s four-and-a-half weeks right now. We’re not trying to push him or anything like that, we want to make sure that we’re doing the right thing and he’ll be out there when he should be out there.”
Anthony leads UNC in scoring at 19.1 points per game and is third on the team with 6.3 rebounds per outing while also handing out 3.3 assists per contest. The Heels were 6-3 with him, including wins over Notre Dame, when he scored 34 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and handed out five assists.
He finished with 13, seven and six in a win over Alabama and had 19 points in a victory over Oregon. In fact, Carolina was 6-1 before losing at home to Ohio State and at Virginia before Anthony went down.
UNC has struggled at the point guard spot in his absence, as Francis’ bad knee has given him problems over the last couple of weeks.
Francis missed the final two seasons of his high school career with knee injuries and didn’t play until UNC’s ninth game this season. He had some quality outings and was instrumental in the Tar Heels defeating UCLA in Las Vegas several days before Christmas but has struggled since.
He sat out UNC’s game versus Clemson last weekend but played 15 minutes Saturday at Pitt. He’s 2-for-22 from the field since UNC’s win over Yale, including 1-for-9 from 3-point range.
Is his play the result of lingering soreness in the knee?
“I would say yes, but it’s probably more specific than that,” Williams said. “He’s not playing well but God Almighty he’s playing basketball. I never thought he would play this year, I really didn’t. So, I’m happy as I can be for him, though I’d like him to play a little better, make some shots and do those kinds of things.
“But I never really thought that he would be out there. He’s had some serious, serious problems with the knee… So, I’m ecstatic that the kid gets to play.”
UNC next plays at Virginia Tech on Wednesday night, and it’s uncertain right now if either Anthony or Francis will play.
