In the first half of Friday's game against UNCW, Armando Bacot went down with an injury and didn't return.
On Thursday, North Carolina head coach Roy Williams said that the first-year center will play on Friday against Gardner-Webb, but Bacot only played three minutes in the game against the Seahawks.
Junior big man Sterling Manley and first-year guards Anthony Harris and Jeremiah Francis are all out with lower body injuries, with no timetable as to their respective returns, while senior guard Brandon Robinson suffered a sprained right ankle in this year's exhibition game against Winston-Salem State. All have yet to play a second for North Carolina in 2019-20.
On Thursday, Williams indicated that both Harris and Francis had started half court practices with the team, but that Robinson and Manley were still not participating in any activities with the team.
After the game last Friday, when asked if he's ever had to face an injury bug this vicious, Williams kept it simple.
"No," he said.
Against the Seahawks, Williams used just seven players in meaningful game time, while four Tar Heels played 32 or more minutes. That lack of depth would test any coach, but it's likely even worse for Williams, who makes a point of turning to his bench early and often.
“I can play eight or nine, easily, and sometimes even 10, and give them enough minutes, enough playing time that they're satisfied with it, but you've got to have depth in this game,” he said.
Without that depth, UNC has been forced to lean on the talents of a small few to carry the load offensively. First-year guard Cole Anthony had 34 points in the season opener against Notre Dame. He also had a game-high 20 against UNCW, while forwards Justin Pierce and Garrison Brooks both added 18.
