UNC Basketball: Cole Anthony provides update on his status

The UNC Basketball program could see the return of freshman sensation Cole Anthony soon as he provided an update on his injury

For the first time all season long, the North Carolina Tar Heels have won back-to-back Atlantic Coast Conference games as they took down N.C. State on the road Monday night. 

UNC got off to another good start and turned it up a notch in the second half led by Garrison Brooks and Brandon Robinson on offense while also putting the pressure on the Wolfpack on the defensive end of the floor. The win marked the seventh-straight for the Tar Heels at PNC Arena and moved head coach Roy Williams to 36-4 all-time vs. the Wolfpack.

While the win over N.C. State was sweet, what was even better is that now the Tar Heels have a win streak and some momentum building. Yeah, it’s still a very long shot for them to make the NCAA Tournament as they would need to go on an incredible run but some help might be on the way with the toughest stretch upcoming.

UNC will host Boston College this Saturday before taking on No. 5 Florida State and No. 9 Duke next week. The Tar Heels have been without star point guard Cole Anthony since early December and following the win vs. N.C. State, Anthony provided some possible good news for the Tar Heels as he updated everyone on his status.

Here is what Anthony told C.L. Brown of CLBrownHoops.com:

"“I’m doing pretty good. Slowly and surely getting better. As soon as I’m cleared, I’m hopping back on the court. I’ll tell you that,” Anthony said. “I’m having a little bit of pain. Just making sure that I’m 110 percent. I can easily say I might be in my 90’s, maybe 100 percent right now.”"

As for his input on the decision, Anthony says it will happen when he’s cleared and he will let the trainers know when he’s good. However, it’s going to be the trainers call.

"“Maybe, I mean if I’m cleared. It’s really not up to me at this point,” Anthony said when asked if he could play vs. Boston College. “As soon as they say I’m good to go, then I’m good to go. It’s not up to me. I’m going to tell them I’m ready but at the same time if they don’t think I’m ready, then I’m not ready. It’s not really my call. I’m going to trust people who know what they are talking about, who are trained professionals in this.”"

The Tar Heels will return to practice this week, something Anthony has yet to participate in full since his injury. That’s been the biggest thing holding him back from a return and Williams has made it clear that Anthony has to fully practice before he can return.

It looks like all of us will be on Anthony watch at practice this week.

For more on the UNC Basketball program, please check back with Keeping It Heel.