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Groin injury to sideline North Carolina backup point guard

Belmont Abbey v North Carolina

Belmont Abbey v North Carolina

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Shortly before their game Wednesday night at NC State, North Carolina announced that it will be without a member of its perimeter rotation for “a few weeks.”

Freshman point guard Joel Berry II, who’s averaging 3.2 points and 1.2 assists in 10.9 minutes per game, will miss time due to his aggravating a groin injury in practice on Tuesday. Berry, who has made a start in any of his 16 appearances this season, was used to give players such as starter Marcus Paige and reserve Nate Britt some rest at the point.

With Berry unavailable it’s likely that Paige and Britt will absorb the majority of those available minutes until the freshman is healthy enough to return to the court. Paige (13.3 ppg, 3.6 apg) currently leads the Tar Heels in points and is second in assists, with junior J.P. Tokoto averaging a team-high 4.1 assists per game and freshmen Justin Jackson (2.5 apg) and Theo Pinson (2.2 apg) third and fourth on the team, respectively.

Berry becomes the third North Carolina to be ruled inactive for health reasons, joining fellow reserve guards Stilman White (stress reaction in his right foot) and Luke Davis (stress fracture in his right foot) on the sideline.

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