UNC Basketball: Will Garrison Brooks play vs. Iowa?

Will the UNC Basketball program have Garrison Brooks for their ACC/Big Ten Challenge game against Iowa on Tuesday night?

Tuesday night will be the biggest test in this early season for the UNC Basketball program as they travel to take on No. 3 Iowa in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The two teams will meet in the first game of a double-header on ESPN in a Top 25 showdown.

Iowa enters the game at 3-0 overall led by the play of All-American candidate Luka Garza who has been on a tear early on this season. Garza enters this game averaging 34 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while shooting 76 percent from the field.

It’s going to be a tough test for a UNC team that is deep in terms of depth at forward and the center position. But the Tar Heels might be without their best player in Garrison Brooks.

The senior suffered an ankle injury in the loss to Texas last week and going into Tuesday, he hasn’t been cleared to play. However, there has been some good news as of last night.

Brooks DID travel with the team to Iowa City for the showdown as he was shown in pictures posted by the UNC Basketball Twitter account showing the arrival of the team in Iowa City:

That’s certainly good news for the Tar Heels as there is at least a shot for him to play in this game on Tuesday night. While Roy Williams said that Brooks wasn’t cleared as of Monday, it’s likely going to be a game-time decision for Brooks.

UNC is going to need Brooks and a little more including playing their best game of the year on Tuesday. While Brooks is off to a slow start this season, he’s coming off an impressive junior season earning him the ACC Preseason Player of the Year honor going into this season.

This is a very good Iowa team that can bury you if you fall behind early on. Having Brooks will help but keep an eye on his status leading up to the game.

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