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North Carolina junior Theo Pinson will miss his second straight game on Tuesday as he continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained against Virginia Tech last week, Roy Williams said on Monday.

Pinson missed the first 16 games of the season recovering from a broken bone in the same foot. He had surgery in October 2016 and has since returned to a prominent role for the No. 12 Tar Heels, playing more than 16 minutes per game since returning to the floor in early January.

Williams said he is "hopeful" Pinson will return to the court soon, although it doesn't sound like there's a timetable. "I don't have enough information right now to base that on [that he will return soon] other than I'd love to have him back because I think he adds so much to our team," said Williams to the News and Observer.

Before exiting the game against Virginia Tech early, Pinson was playing 18.2 minutes per game in five games since returning to the lineup. He averages 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds this season for North Carolina.

North Carolina plays Pittsburgh on Tuesday evening, where Sportsline favors the Tar Heels by 19 points at Chapel Hill, before facing Notre Dame on Saturday.