CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina star freshman point guard Cole Anthony is expected to miss four to six weeks after having arthroscopic knee surgery.
The school said Anthony had the procedure Monday to treat a partially torn meniscus in his right knee. He missed Sunday’s loss to Wofford because of the injury, with UNC saying he was out indefinitely as treatment options were being evaluated.
Pitt visits North Carolina on Jan. 8 and hosts the Tar Heels on Jan. 18.
Widely regarded as a potential NBA lottery pick if he enters the draft after one season, Anthony is averaging 19.1 points to rank second nationally among freshmen and has been the Tar Heels’ best player at creating his own shot.
The Tar Heels (6-4) are unranked for the first time since February 2014. They visit No. 2 Gonzaga on Wednesday night before facing UCLA on Saturday in Las Vegas for the CBS Sports Classic.
“Obviously not having a player of Cole’s caliber will be a tremendous challenge to our young team, but we have to play,” coach Roy Williams said in a statement. “No one player is going to replace the production Cole Anthony gives us, so it’s up to everyone who puts on a North Carolina jersey to raise his game and help our team play better.”
