UNC Basketball

The North Carolina Tar Heels announced Tuesday freshman sensation Cole Anthony is going to miss four to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery Monday on a partially torn meniscus in his right knee.

"Obviously not having a player of Cole's caliber will be a tremendous challenge to our young team, but we have to play," UNC head coach Roy Williams said. "No one player is going to replace the production Cole Anthony gives us, so it's up to everyone who puts on a North Carolina jersey to raise his game and help our team play better."

Anthony has averaged 19.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals across nine appearances for the Heels during the 2019-20 season. The guard already missed one game, Sunday's upset loss to the Wofford Terriers, because of the injury.

North Carolina has dropped four of its past five games since a 5-0 start. Its sluggish offense, which currently ranks 317th in field-goal percentage, is the main culprit. UNC has failed to reach 65 points in any of its losses, including two games below 50.

Anthony, the team's leading scorer, hasn't been immune to the team-wide shooting struggles, as he's connected on just 36.8 percent of his attempts from the field, but he's been one of the few Tar Heels who has showcased the ability to create his own offense off the dribble.

The 19-year-old son of former NBA guard Greg Anthony set the highest possible bar for himself coming into his first, and likely only, collegiate campaign.

"At the end of the day, from what the projections are saying, I feel I can do more than that," he told reporters in November. "I don't want to just be First Team All-ACC. I want to be Player of the Year."

Although the injury is a setback to those ambitions—though the Duke Blue Devils' Zion Williamson showed last year it's possible to capture the Naismith Trophy despite missing time with injury—it shouldn't completely derail UNC's season.

The timetable suggests Anthony should return some time between mid-to-late January. The Tar Heels face just one currently ranked opponent during that stretch (No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs on Wednesday).

They start a stretch of three out of four games against ranked foes when they take on the No. 19 Florida State Seminoles on Feb. 3, which is a realistic target for the guard's return, if he's not back before that.

If Anthony returns to the lineup on schedule, he'll be available for the most important stretch of the regular season, the ACC tournament and the NCAA tournament.

In the meantime, K.J. Smith could become a stalwart member of the starting lineup after taking Anthony's spot against Wofford, and Garrison Brooks will become the team's go-to scorer.

UNC freshman guard Cole Anthony is out indefinitely with a right knee injury, a major blow to the Tar Heels.

Cole Anthony is out indefinitely with a right knee injury. Treatment plans will be evaluated over the next few days. Leaky Black is game-to-game with a sprained right foot.

Obviously both bad news, but the Anthony injury especially is worrisome.

— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) December 15, 2019

Anthony has posted 19.1 points on 36.8 percent shooting (35.5 percent from three-point range), 3.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds for the 6-3 Tar Heels. 

Ranked fourth in 247Sports' composite rankings for the class of 2019, Anthony led a loaded group to Chapel Hill that also features 5-star center Armando Bacot.

That crew faced a tall task heading into the season, as UNC's top five scorers from 2018-19 all exhausted their NCAA eligibility or went to the NBA.

Anthony figures to be one-and-done himself, as the superstar guard ranked No. 2 on Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report's 2020 NBA draft big board in August.

He'll likely be lighting up professional scoreboards this time next year, but as for now, Anthony must rehabilitate his knee and potentially work his way back on the floor for the Tar Heels.

UNC could use Anthony's versatile scoring attack en route to its run to the NCAA tournament, but until he returns, the Tar Heels should rely on junior forward Garrison Brooks, senior guard Brandon Robinson and Bacot to provide more offensive production.

The No. 6 North Carolina Tar Heels scored a 78-74 victory Friday over the No. 11 Oregon Ducks in the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament third-place game at Imperial Arena in Nassau, Bahamas.

It marked a terrific bounce-back opportunity after both teams suffered their first losses of the 2019-20 college basketball season in Thursday's semifinals. UNC came up short against the Michigan Wolverines, while Oregon fell to the Gonzaga Bulldogs in an overtime thriller.

Although the Tar Heels came out on top in the consolation clash, each side has shown during the first quarter of the campaign that a deep NCAA tournament run is realistic.

             

Notable Game Stats

Armando Bacot (UNC): 23 points, 12 rebounds, 6 blocks

Cole Anthony (UNC): 19 points, 5 rebounds

Brandon Robinson (UNC): 13 points, 4 assists

Garrison Brooks (UNC): 9 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks

Payton Pritchard (ORE): 19 points, 6 assists

Will Richardson (ORE): 17 points

Chris Duarte (ORE): 16 points, 7 rebounds

             

UNC Bench Efficiency Must Improve for ACC Play

North Carolina features one of the nation's most dynamic starting lineups, led by freshman sensation Cole Anthony and upperclassmen Garrison Brooks and Brandon Robinson. Freshman post player Armando Bacot has also started to emerge as a high-impact player, a trend that continued Friday.

What the Tar Heels have lacked is a reliable weapon off the bench.

The three most-used reserves against the Ducks—Christian Keeling, Justin Pierce and Andrew Platek—combined to make just five of their 25 attempts from the field (20.0 percent).

It's been a consistent issue in the season's opening weeks. Keeling (35.0 field-goal percentage entering Friday), Pierce (36.8 percent) and Platek (43.3) have all struggled with their shooting efficiency. Having a series of volume scorers come off the bench can make for a volatile offense.

Cole Anthony met him at the rim 🚫 pic.twitter.com/BSC7ZvSt5i

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 29, 2019

That's especially true when you consider Anthony (38.5 percent) is still working on his shot selection at the collegiate level. It's made for a streaky UNC offense so far.

The Tar Heels were able to overcome those issues during the season's early stages, but it's an area in need of improvement as the schedule gets tougher moving forward.

            

Rebounding Remains Most Pressing Concern for Oregon

The Ducks don't feature a true post presence in a rotation that includes ample athleticism but a lack of size, and it's led to problems cleaning up the defensive glass.

Oregon entered the game 277th in the country in opposing offensive rebound percentage (31.8), per KenPom. Almost one of every three rebounds while it's playing defense is recovered by the other team.

That issue was on display over the past two days: Gonzaga grabbed 13 offensive boards in the semifinals, and UNC added 19 more Friday.

Finding a solution won't be simple because the roster doesn't feature a dominant rebounder. All five players must buy into crashing the defensive glass on missed shots to limit second chances for opponents.

Most of the other underlying numbers are strong, so Oregon could emerge as a major threat both in the Pac-12 and on a national level if head coach Dana Altman can fix the defensive rebounding woes.

            

What's Next?

One of the toughest stretches of North Carolina's schedule continues Wednesday night when it returns home to the Dean E. Smith Center to face off with the undefeated No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes.

Oregon is also heading back home to Matthew Knight Arena to battle the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Dec. 7.

After North Carolina freshman Cole Anthony played in 37 of a possible 40 minutes in a 76-65 victory over Notre Dame on Wednesday night, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams made it clear that he doesn't buy into the concept of load management.

"I don't believe in this load management crap in the NBA," Williams said, per The Athletic's Jared Weiss. "You pay me $25 million a year and my load is going to be pretty light."

The phrase "load management" has become more prevalent in the NBA in recent seasons, as star players have taken games off more frequently in an attempt to make sure their bodies can make it through an 82-game season as well as potential playoff games. Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is the most noteworthy example.

College basketball is different from the NBA in that it's a shorter season and also does not typically feature games on back-to-back days, other than for tournaments.

And while Williams does not believe in load management, he does not plan on overworking Anthony or any of his players:

Roy said this in the context that his guys — namely Cole — can handle the heavy minutes workload, but also acknowledges it is a long season and he is cognizant about not overworking them. https://t.co/IQTAJf4Suu

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) November 7, 2019

Junior forward Garrison Brooks logged 39 minutes against Notre Dame.

Williams has historically been able to rely on a rotation thanks to a deep bench. However, this UNC squad may not have as much depth as Williams' previous teams, as it lost Coby White, Cameron Johnson, Nassir Little and Luke Maye after last season.

North Carolina is also missing junior forward Sterling Manley, who is dealing with an injury.

On Wednesday night, North Carolina used nine players, with seven receiving significant minutes. Neither Walker Miller nor Brandon Huffman registered more than one minute of action during their time on the court.

Anthony and Brooks each proved in the season opener that they could sustain a high level of play while receiving very little rest. Anthony, rated by 247Sports as a 5-star prospect and the No. 4 overall recruit in the class of 2019, set a program record with 34 points in his Tar Heels debut, adding 11 rebounds, five assists and one steal. Brooks added 10 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

Of course, it's unlikely Anthony and Brooks will continue to see 37-plus minutes early on this season, as the Tar Heels will be heavily favored in many of their nonconference games.

North Carolina freshman Cole Anthony went off for 34 points in his collegiate debut while leading the Tar Heels to a 76-65 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Dean E. Smith Center on Wednesday night.

Anthony finished the game 12-of-24 from the field, including 6-of-11 from the three-point line. His 34 points are a program record for a freshman debut. Rashad McCants previously held the record, scoring 28 against Penn State in 2002.

Cole’s College Debut = UNC Record@The_ColeAnthony has more points than any other Tar Heel in their debut! pic.twitter.com/Dc1ZF4oZIp

— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) November 7, 2019

Rated by 247Sports as a 5-star prospect and the No. 4 overall recruit in the class of 2019, Anthony was named to the preseason Wooden Award watch list. And he wasted little time in showing that the hype is real.

Anthony needed less than a minute to tally his first points in a North Carolina uniform:

What a debut for Cole Anthony! He finishes with 34 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists as @UNC_Basketball picks up the win.#ACCMBBpic.twitter.com/obVfgUsUoJ

— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) November 7, 2019

That was just the start of a big night.

Anthony recorded 11 points in the first half, helping the Tar Heels overcome some sloppy play late in the first half to enter the break down just one.

With UNC trailing 44-41 six minutes into the second half, the star frosh took over. Anthony scored seven consecutive points for the Tar Heels during an 80-second stretch to turn a three-point deficit into a two-point lead. And that proved to be the spark Roy Williams' squad needed.

That led to a 17-6 North Carolina run, and from that point on, the Tar Heels never looked back.

Cole Anthony making the most of his @UNC_Basketball debut 👀pic.twitter.com/ds2X0vuyeW

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 7, 2019

A goggle-less Anthony wound up with 23 points, with the help of four triples, in the second half alone while helping UNC pull away. He did more than score, though. He also notched 11 rebounds, five assists and one steal on the night.

Needless to say, his performance caught everyone's attention:

You are a problem boi!!!!! @The_ColeAnthony

— Nassir Little (@2ez_nassie) November 7, 2019

https://twitter.com/Sam_Vecenie/status/1192252478831464448

Cole Anthony could take every shot and not a single UNC fan would complain.

— Taylor Vippolis (@tvippolis) November 7, 2019

Expected Cole Anthony to put up monster numbers this season at Carolina — but didn’t expect 26-9-4 with nine minutes left in his debut. He’s been ridiculous, taking over the second half.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) November 7, 2019

Early take is that @UNC_Basketball’s @The_ColeAnthony gets the “must watch TV” from our network next 4 months the way Trae Young & Zion got it last two years. I have no problem with that if he’s good enough. He is. 👍🏻🏀

— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) November 7, 2019

North Carolina has the daunting task of attempting to replace Coby White, Cameron Johnson, Nassir Little and Luke Maye. Even though he's just a freshman, it will be up to Anthony to lead the way.

It was just one game, but Wednesday night's performance suggests Anthony has what it takes to put the Tar Heels on his back.

Puff Johnson is following in his older brother's footsteps.     

The 4-star forward told 247Sports' Evan Daniels Tuesday that he has verbally committed to the University of North Carolina. Cameron Johnson, his brother, played at UNC for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. 

"UNC, I felt was the best fit for me," Johnson told Daniels. "I felt the most comfortable there, and I felt at home in Chapel Hill." 

He added: "I have been around UNC for a while and have been familiar with the players since Cam played there." 

Johnson will graduate from Phoenix Hillcrest Prep in 2020, and the school's Twitter posted a video confirming Johnson's commitment:

https://twitter.com/hillcrest_prep/status/1191891762471522304

Johnson is ranked 48th nationally by 247Sports, as well as fourth among Arizona prospects. He confirmed to Stock Risers' Jake Weingarten that following his brother, who excelled as a Tar Heel and was taken 11th overall by the Phoenix Suns in this year's NBA draft, and attending UNC "was definitely part of the decision."

Per Daniels, Johnson's commitment boosted UNC's 2020 class to No. 2 on the 247Sports Team Rankings. The 6'7", 185-pound wing joins 5-star center Walker Kessler, 5-star center Day'Ron Sharpe, 5-star point guard Caleb Love and 4-star guard R.J. Davis.

247Sports' Jerry Meyer evaluated Johnson and compared him to R.J. Hunter of the Houston Rockets: "Has good length for a shooter. A smooth athlete who needs to add strength and explosiveness. A long-range shooter with a quick and effortless left-handed release."

Johnson visited Chapel Hill over the weekend before making his decision.

Before officially moving to campus, Johnson will play at Hillcrest for one season. He previously played at Moon High School in his hometown of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, where he won a championship last year while averaging 22.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks (h/t USAToday's Logan Newman).

Johnson transferred to Hillcrest after he was denied another year of eligibility at Moon High. 

Elite 2020 prospect Caleb Love announced he will spend his college career with the North Carolina Tar Heels.

"I'm headed to North Carolina, and the reason I picked them was when I went on my visit, it felt like a family culture, from start to finish, from when I got there to when I left," Love told Evan Daniels of 247Sports. "I just felt like it was home."

Love is a 5-star prospect rated as the No. 21 overall player in the class, per 247Sports. He is considered the fourth-best point guard in the nation.

He narrowed his choices down to North Carolina and Missouri after initially setting up visits Louisville and Kansas. The St. Louis native eventually decided on the Tar Heels, giving the team a special weapon going forward.

At 6'3" with outstanding quickness, Love has showed he can get into the lane, where he can either finish at the rim or dish to a teammate. He has displayed impressive vision that could make him an excellent facilitator in college. 

His length and energy could also make him a high-level defender.

Love displayed his full skill set against top competition at the USA Basketball camp:

Beginning to end, can’t think of anyone that has played better and more consistently than Caleb Love at the USA Mini-Camp. Improved jump shot, potential lock down defender and a quality athlete.

— Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10) July 28, 2019

His commitment is huge for North Carolina, which is always looking to compete for a national championship under head coach Roy Williams.

The Tar Heels are usually loaded with high-level talent, which will likely keep Love surrounded with playmakers to get the most out of his passing ability. UNC had the 10th-best recruiting class with fellow 5-stars Walker Kessler and Day'Ron Sharpe before Love's decision, according to 247Sports.

If things go according to plan, he can help carry the squad into title contention before likely making a move to the NBA.

The University of North Carolina has added a premier big man to its roster for the 2020-21 season after Walker Kessler committed to the program.

Kessler announced his decision to play for the Tar Heels on Instagram Sunday night. According to 247Sports' Evan Daniels, it is a verbal commitment. Kessler took his official visit to Chapel Hill over the weekend.

Kessler was favored to commit to Duke, with 247Sports' Crystal Ball giving the Blue Devils a 64 percent chance. He also received offers from and visited Michigan, Virginia and Vanderbilt.

Kessler is part of a loaded class of 2020 prospects from the state of Georgia that also includes JT Thor and Sharife Cooper. He's a 5-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 3 center and No. 15 overall player, per 247Sports.

Listed at 6'10" and 225 pounds, Kessler fits squarely into the mold of a modern-day big man who is capable of scoring away from the basket.

Here's the scouting report for Kessler from 247Sports' Jerry Meyer:

"Good size and build for a center while appearing to still be growing. Average athlete. Gets up and down the court, though. Greatest strength is a variety of scoring moves, including hook shots. Can stretch defense with shooting. Good hands and feel for the game. Positional rebounder and defender. Worst case scenario projects as a solid NBA backup center."

Because of his size and instincts on the court, it's not a surprise Kessler drew attention from many of the nation's top programs.

Luckily for Nassir Little he was auditioning for a job in the NBA and not a role on the next season of Survivor.

Little told TMZ Sports during one interview a team representative posed a hypothetical: If he were locked inside a car with a hammer as the only tool at his disposal, how would he escape?

Most fans probably answered the conundrum like Little: You use the hammer to break out one of the windows and climb out. The team representative opted for the path of least resistance and the obvious answer in retrospect, simply unlocking the door.

Little averaged 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 52.7 percent from the field in his only season with the Tar Heels. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman ranked him as the No. 22 player in his most recent big board.

If nothing else, the pre-draft process helped save Little a few hundred bucks for a replacement window in the event he accidentally locks himself inside an automobile.

Former William & Mary small forward Justin Pierce announced Thursday he will transfer to North Carolina:

Officially a Tar Heel! 🐏🐏🐏 pic.twitter.com/0YAxILAaOe

— Justin Pierce (@JustinPierce23) May 2, 2019

As a graduate transfer, he will be eligible play immediately for his new team.

Pierce played three years for the Tribe, averaging 14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game during the 2018-19 season.

Although his shooting was inconsistent last season, the 6'7" wing knocked down 41.6 percent of his shots from three-point range in 2017-18.

This production could be huge for UNC, which is losing each of its top five scorers to either graduation or the NBA. The opening was not lost on Pierce, who chose the Tar Heels over Michigan and Notre Dame.

"They offer me the best opportunity to pursue my dreams, on and off the court," Pierce said, per Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com. "They need somebody like me who brings versatility on the court and experience, to help them win at the highest level. They're losing Cam Johnson, Luke Maye and Nassir Little, a lot of production from guys in my position."

This is the second graduate transfer for North Carolina this offseason after the team also added Christian Keeling from Charleston Southern.

Jeff Goodman of Stadium believes both will have a significant role next year:

North Carolina could well start two grad transfers next season: Charleston Southern’s Christian Keeling and William & Mary’s Justin Pierce.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 2, 2019

With Cole Anthony and Armando Bacot headlining a quality 2019 recruiting class, North Carolina should once again be a top contender for a national title next season.