The UNC basketball program received some good news ahead of Tuesday night’s road game at Wake Forest as Garrison Brooks will be able to play
Going into Tuesday night’s game at Wake Forest, the North Carolina Tar Heels didn’t know the status of starting forward Garrison Brooks after he suffered an eye injury in the loss to Duke on Saturday night.
Brooks didn’t practice on Sunday and was limited during Monday’s practice session, leaving his status as questionable. But just minutes before tip-off it looks like we have our answer.
The forward will indeed play in Tuesday’s Atlantic Coast Conference matchup with the Demon Deacons, a big boost for UNC’s starting lineup. Brooks went through the pregame drills with googles on to protect a scratched cornea that he suffered vs. Duke:
Garrison Brooks is here. Goggles on his head. pic.twitter.com/TYjHK9zTeo
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) February 11, 2020
While Brooks will try to play, his vision will be something that will impact his play and could limit his minutes:
Garrison Brooks is going to try to play tonight vs. Wake Forest with eye protection. Issue is not pain, but rather his vision, which could pose a problem. How much he can play remains to be seen. #UNC
— InsideCarolina (@InsideCarolina) February 12, 2020
In his third season with the Tar Heels, Brooks is averaging 15 points, 8.9 rebounds and is shooting 53.1 percent from the field. He had a solid game against Duke, scoring 18 points and grabbing 5 rebounds in the losing effort.
This is certainly good news for UNC as they pair Brooks down in the post with freshman Armando Bacot. Losing Brooks for this matchup would have hurt as Wake Forest has some bigs that could exploit the Tar Heels in the post without him. Now the Tar Heels should be at full strength in the post and hope to take advantage of the rebounding opportunities.
For more on the UNC Basketball program as they look to end a three-game losing streak, please check back with Keeping It Heel.