Kendall Marshall Injury: Comparing Potential Loss of PG to Syracuse's Fab Melo

After Kendall Marshall fractured his right wrist on Sunday against Creighton, we could potentially have a Final Four matchup between two teams in North Carolina and Syracuse who are both short-handed.

We all know about Syracuse's loss of center Fab Melo, who was the anchor in its 2-3 defense.

Marshall reportedly had surgery this morning, and there's a chance he could play in the Tar Heels' Sweet 16 matchup with Ohio on Friday. But even if he plays, he likely won't be 100 percent for the rest of the NCAA tournament.

Dr. Christopher Sforzo, a Florida-based orthopedic surgeon who works with professional tennis players, said, via ESPN:

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“His jump shot wouldn’t be a problem. But it’s still tough for him to handle the ball with that off hand, to push off and dribble. It’s an interesting conundrum and a real tough break for him, especially at this time of year. Maybe he could play this week, maybe by Saturday if you want to hope you get there. Or do you wait until the Final Four? There's no easy answer.''

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In my opinion, North Carolina should learn from Syracuse: In short, no one player makes a team.

Remember when Melo was declared ineligible right before the tournament and the nation panicked? Numerous experts said Syracuse would lose in the Round of 64 to "Cinderella" hopeful UNC-Asheville. All Syracuse has done since then is knock off UNC-Asheville and embarrass a good team in Kansas State.

Now, North Carolina's situation is a bit different. The Tar Heels don't have the depth behind Marshall that the Orange have behind Melo.

But what I'm saying is that the truly strong teams find a way to make up for their losses...and find a way to win.

The Tar Heels, even if they lose Marshall for the rest of the tournament, could still realistically make it to the Championship Game. They have a dominant team, complete with the returned John Henson, Harrison Barnes and Tyler Zeller. Oh yeah, and they also have a historic head coach in Roy Williams.

Even if Marshall can go by Friday, the Tar Heels should keep him out for at least one game. Ohio has surprised people, particularly after upsetting No. 4 seed Michigan in the Round of 64, but the Bobcats simply aren't good enough to beat the Tar Heels, whether they have Marshall available or not.

North Carolina's best bet would be to wait until, at least, the Elite Eight and hope Marshall's wrist is better by then.

As Syracuse has shown, North Carolina shouldn't be too concerned if Marshall misses the Sweet 16. The Tar Heels are good enough to battle through it.

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