NCAA Tournament: UNC point guard Joel Berry II to play against Oregon

North Carolina point guard Joel Berry II says he’s “not going to sit out” against Oregon

The North Carolina Tar Heels have an unfortunate tradition of battling through the month of March with an injured starting point guard.

In 2009, ACC Player of the Year Ty Lawson struggled through the NCAA Tournament’s first two rounds with a lingering toe injury. Had it not been for a gutsy second round performance from the injured Lawson, the Tar Heels might never have gotten past LSU, let alone win the National Championship.

In 2012, Cousy Award winner Kendall Marshall was infamously injured in the Tar Heels’ round of 32 game against Creighton. Fans were hopeful that he would be able to return the following week to play in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8, but his broken wrist kept him on the bench and derailed the Tar Heels’ title hopes.

Mar 26, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) helps to cut the nets after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats in the finals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. North Carolina won 75-73. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /

And this season, the tradition continues with starting point guard Joel Berry II.

Berry has sprained both of his ankles over the past couple of weeks, forcing him to play in considerable pain and discomfort while still leading the Tar Heels to the Final Four.

His status for the Final Four to this point has been unknown, but today he offered some insight to the media during the team’s pre-Final Four press conference.

"“I feel a lot better,” he said Thursday. “The bruising has gone away. I can run on it now. There are only two games left. I’m not going to sit out.”"

Berry has played in each of the Tar Heels’ four tournament games to this point, but it’s not been an easy road for the Cousy Award finalist.

In the Tar Heels’ first round beat-down of Texas Southern, Berry sprained his right ankle, forcing him to the bench and consequently struggling through the team’s second round thriller against Arkansas. As if one sprained ankle wasn’t enough, he suffered the same injury to the opposite ankle in the first half of North Carolina’s Elite 8 game against Kentucky.

"“My left one is bothering me more because it’s recent,” Berry said. “My right one still hurts a little bit, but they feel a lot better. Taking that long flight didn’t help.”"

As UNC head coach Roy Williams would say, “Berry’s a tough little sucker”.

The Tar Heels will most definitely need that toughness to get past Oregon on Saturday night and continue their road to redemption.

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