Things have taken a significant turn for the worse in Chapel Hill since North Carolina’s huge comeback win over Duke. Caleb Wilson is out with a broken hand, Henri Veesaar has missed the last two games with the flu and lower-body injuries, and the Tar Heels have lost two of three.
Tar Heels fans are waiting anxiously for a piece of good news, but Hubert Davis wasn’t quick to oblige them after UNC’s embarrassing 82-58 loss to NC State in Raleigh on Tuesday night. The fifth-year head coach shared an update on Veesaar’s status, but it didn’t provide much clarity about the big man, who many expected to return against the Wolfpack.
"His outlook is day-to-day," Davis said. "Every day, he's getting better in regard to the lower extremities. He's getting better also with his flu. He's making huge strides every day, and every day we'll evaluate and see when he's available to practice. And then when he's able to practice, see when he's able to play."
Henri Veesaar still day-to-day as he recovers from flu and lower-body injuries
UNC returns to action on Saturday at Syracuse, an ACC bottom-feeder that just suffered a 101-64 loss to Duke on Monday. The Orange are just 15-12 overall and 6-8 in ACC play. They’ve lost seven of their last 10 outings, including a 10-point loss to North Carolina.
The Tar Heels built a massive lead against Syracuse in that early February matchup, so Davis may feel comfortable resting Veesaar for another game in hopes of getting him back at 100 percent next Monday against No. 21 Louisville. However, after last night’s loss to NC State, it’s hard to believe he’d be so confident in his team’s ability to get back into the win column without its two best players.
UNC downed Pitt without Wilson and Veesaar, but on Tuesday, the Tar Heels were soundly outplayed and lacked any offensive answers. They shot just 32 percent from the field and 15 percent from three, with Zayden High and Jarin Stevenson finishing as the team’s leading scorers with 13 points apiece. Worse, they shot just 5-for-33 from beyond the arc.
Veesaar is a defensive anchor for North Carolina, and the numbers reflect how valuable he’s been on that end of the floor this season. However, especially without Wilson, his offense is vital. He’s averaging 16.4 points this season and shooting 44.9 percent from three, which provides UNC with crucial spacing that none of its back bigs can replicate.
More troublesome, UNC is almost out of backup bigs altogether. Prior to this stretch without Wilson and Veesaar, High hadn’t played more than 14 minutes in a game, and that came against North Carolina Central in mid-November. He’s averaged 31 minutes over the last two games. That’s unsustainable, but Davis doesn’t have any other option.
Veesaar needs to get back soon, but Davis didn’t give Tar Heels’ fans much confidence that he’ll take the floor on Saturday at Syracuse.