Cole Anthony is expected to miss at least a month, and potentially up to six weeks, with a knee injury.
The freshman star underwent an arthroscopic procedure to treat 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 in a release. “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 averaged 19.1 points in Carolina’s first nine games, which includes a 34 point outburst against Notre Dame in his ACC debut.
But without him in the lineup, the Tar Heels have struggled mightily to score. They lost at home to Wofford, 68-64, on Sunday when Anthony did not play. Last week, we discussed the issues surrounding North Carolina offensively with Anthony on the roster. Those centered on the simple fact that this is a team that just does not have all that much talent. Now, they will be playing without a guy that could end up being the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
If Anthony is out for six weeks, he’ll miss the next ten games, including a road trip to Gonzaga and a home game against N.C. State. If there is a silver lining, it’s that those are the only two top 60 KenPom teams UNC will face during that stretch.