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Hansbrough still out with injury
UNC will be without two projected starters when it takes on Kentucky tonight
AP Photo
UNC players (left to right) Tyler Hansbrough, Mike Copeland and Marcus Ginyard had front-row sets for the Tar Heels' game against Penn.
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Published: November 18, 2008
CHAPEL HILL
North Carolina will play its second game of the season today without Tyler Hansbrough when Kentucky visits the Smith Center for a meeting of college basketball's most successful programs.
Hansbrough, last season's consensus national player of the year, is not ready to play because his injured right shin has not healed properly from a stress reaction, according to Coach Roy Williams.
Hansbrough, a 6-9 senior, missed UNC's opener last Saturday against Penn because of the shin, marking the first time in his UNC career that he missed a game.
"We're trying to give him a little more work," Williams said. "It's more conditioning and those things as opposed to doing anything in practice."
The game will begin at 9 p.m. UNC is 1-0 and Kentucky is 0-1. UNC has beaten Kentucky in their last four games. Kentucky has the most wins in college basketball at 1,966 and UNC is second, trailing by 15.
Hansbrough will be on the bench in street clothes again along with Marcus Ginyard, a senior forward who is recovering from surgery on his left foot to repair a stress fracture.
Hansbrough is having a tough time sitting out, according to Williams. Hansbrough has not practiced since Oct. 29, the day before a medical test revealed the source of pain in his shin.
Williams said he wants to see how much progress in recovery Hansbrough makes in the next 3-4 days before beginning the process to determine when he can play this season.
"He wants to play badly," Williams said. "He's ready to go and he feels really, really good right now. But until the doctors and family and coach all get together, then we're going to make that decision for him. We're trying to be really conservative; I think we have been and we may continue to be."
Williams said that Ginyard is slightly behind in his recovery from his surgery, which took place on Oct. 8, but that he is still encouraged with Ginyard's prospects of returning in December.
"It's taken a little longer to get going than (the doctors) thought it would initially," Williams said. "They thought that he would have a chance to do some things four weeks in. We're well past four weeks right now and he's still not doing anything.
"I think he'll really start improving a lot quicker. He's out of the (protective) boot. I think he'll start improving rapidly."
Kentucky suffered a shocking 111-103 loss to VMI last Friday in its season opener at home. Kentucky was upset by Gardner-Webb in Rupp Arena last season in its second game under Coach Billy Gillespie.
Williams had a long list of aspects of play that he deemed in need of improvement after UNC beat Penn 86-71 in its opener. At the top of the list is rebounding after UNC forged a 42-32 advantage off the boards.
Patrick Patterson, a muscular sophomore, is a powerful inside presence for Kentucky. Hansbrough defended Patterson in last season's game at Kentucky and Patterson scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Patterson scored eight points and took four shots from the field against VMI. Deon Thompson, a junior, will likely draw the defensive assignment on Patterson.
"The best I can do is make him score over me," Thompson said. "I can't pick up silly fouls by trying to battle with him for position. If I do front him, I've got to make sure a teammate is there on the backside."
■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.
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