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P.J. Hairston doubtful for Wake Forest game with flu

Virginia Tech North Carolina Basketball

North Carolina’s P.J. Hairston sits out on the bench against Virginia Tech during an NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Robert Willett)

AP

Things aren’t getting any easier for P.J. Hairston.

After suffering a concussion last week against Boston College, Hairston is now doubtful for North Carolina’s game against Wake Forest after coming down with the flu.

Hairston is averaging 12.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for the 15-6 Tar Heels this season. He’s already missed one game, North Carolina’s win over Virginia Tech.

“Yesterday, when I left practice, I thought that he would practice [today],’’ coach Roy Williams said during the ACC’s morning conference call. “But last night, he got a little flu bug, and he [was] throwing up last night and this morning, and they’ve got him over at the hospital right now with some IVs, and I think that will postpone some of the things that he can do today in practice. I’m not saying that he’s not going to play, but I think it’s highly unlikely.”

Until the concussion, Hairston had been having as solid a stretch as any player in the Atlantic Coast Conference, going for 15 points against Georgia Tech, 19 against North Carolina State and 12 against B.C. until he went down.

This season, the Tar Heels can ill-afford injuries, they’re not deep or talented enough. Yet they’ve still had to battle them. If there’s a team that Hairston can afford to sit out against, it’s the Demon Deacons. They’re guard-oriented are extremely reliant on Travis McKie and C.J. Harris.

Still, I’m sure Ol’ Roy would like for Hairston to slip into a plastic bubble for a week or so to avoid further injury or illness. May I suggest a hyperboaric chamber?

David Harten is the founder of The Backboard Chronicles. Follow him on Twitter at @David_Harten.