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No. 1 seed North Carolina might be without starting point guard Joel Berry II on Sunday when it takes on No. 8 seed Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The junior floor general tweaked his right ankle Friday night against Texas Southern just before halftime and, while he did return to the game in the second half, he wasn’t at full strength.
Berry is being held out of practice Saturday and is receiving treatment, and Berry says his ankle is at about 75-80 percent health.
#UNC's Joel Berry says right ankle is at ~75-80% a day after rolling it.
— Marilyn Payne (@marilyn_payne) March 18, 2017
"I've never been the type to let something like this stop me"#wral pic.twitter.com/OnKa8oqcnW
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Berry told USA Today. “I’m walking better than I was yesterday. I did a lot of treatment today. It’s just a little sore. But overall I feel pretty good.”
Asked about whether Berry was OK after the game Friday, UNC head coach Roy Williams was optimistic about his status moving forward.
“Yeah, my guess is it will stiffen up a bit,” Williams said. “But I feel certain he’ll be able to go. And he said his momma’s here, so she can clap her hands together like Mr. Miyaga and put her hands on his ankle and I’m sure it will make it feel better.”
Berry is averaging 14.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Tar Heels. He missed two games earlier this season against Davidson and Tennessee, both close wins.
