GLENDALE, Ariz. — If Oregon fans were hoping a pair of bum ankles would keep North Carolina star point guard Joel Berry out of the Tar Heel’s lineup on Saturday, they can stop holding their breath.
“I’m very confident; even if I’m not 100 percent I’m still playing,” Berry told reporters on Thursday. “There’s only two games left in the season and I’m not missing them.”
He sprained his left ankle during the Tar Heel’s win over Kentucky in the Elite Eight on Sunday, and it was later revealed that he had re-aggravated an injury to his right ankle that he sustained during the team’s first-round win over Texas Southern.
Berry earned All-ACC Second Team honors during the 2016-17 season and averaged 15.1 points per game as North Carolina’s floor general.
“It was the game before Kentucky and we were working on zone defense,” Berry said. “I stepped on one of my teammate’s feet and just aggravated it and ran straight back to the tunnel. I was frustrated — nobody wants to get hurt, especially the same injury over and over again.”
The injury has limited Berry to strictly light, half-court work during practices. North Carolina head coach Roy Williams joked that Berry barely broke a sweat on Thursday.
“[Berry] did nothing full court today,” Williams said. “If we go back and he feels good tonight, we might let him do full court. But I can’t let him play on Saturday if he can’t do something full court because we do play full court.”
Berry said he has undergone cupping treatment and pool workouts to help speed up the recovery. North Carolina’s trainers and coaches feared that Berry’s ankle would swell up on the team’s flight to Phoenix, and Williams said that was indeed the case.
If Berry is unable to play on Saturday, his likely replacement would be freshman guard Seventh Woods, who averages 1.7 points per game on the year.
Follow Jarrid Denney on Twitter @jarrid_denney.
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