UNC got past Creighton Sunday and did so rather handily. However, the big news coming out of that game was the injury of Kendall Marshall, the team’s starting point guard.
Roy Williams’ post-game announcement of Marshall’s injury is quite possibly the biggest story going forward in the NCAA Tournament. Marshall broke the scaphoid bone wrist, while driving to the basket in the second half.
According to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), the scaphoid bone is located on the thumb side of the wrist and is the most common bone broken in the wrist. Fracturing the bone can affect a person’s grip.
While it is possible that Marshall may be done for the tournament, I think it is more likely that he will play Friday night.
With that said, I do question whether or not he will be able to contribute effectively. Marshall is one of the best point guards in college basketball and is one of the best passers that NCAA has had in quite a long time. I think this injury will affect Marshall and North Carolina similarly to Rajon Rondo’s injury in the 2011 playoffs against the Miami Heat.
If Marshall is able to give it a go, expect to see Ohio and possibly Kansas or NC State to force Kendall Marshall into driving to his right, to force him to catch the ball with his right hand and will sag off of him more frequently. Marshall has been lethal of late with his perimeter shot, but he is still a contributor primarily.
Teams were already sagging on him prior to today’s injury and I think we could see even more of it next week. Since Marshall is left handed, it will still affect shooting ability. The guide hand is extremely important to a basketball play because it allows a more accurate trajectory as well as a more effective rotation.
Overall I think this injury, regardless of whether or not he plays, is devastating to this team. UNC really does not have a back-up behind Marshall, as Leslie McDonald and Dexter Strickland are both out for the year with knee injuries.
Marshall is the key cog that gets UNC going. His ability to push the pace with his passing ability and his court vision in finding the open man is what makes UNC so special offensively. If Marshall is going to go out and play affectively, he will have to focus on making simple plays.
As great of a passer as Marshall is, he has a tendency to go after the big play too much. It has been a tough year for UNC, as far as injuries go, but this team is still capable of making a run at the Final Four. Hopefully Marshall plays next Friday, but don’t be surprised if Ohio keeps the game close for a while.