Kendall Marshall Injury Update: How UNC Can Win Without Him

The nation's most famous fractured right wrist has finally been freed of its cast, but still, North Carolina is unsure whether star point guard Kendall Marshall will be able to play against Ohio in the Sweet 16 on Friday.

Marshall made the announcement himself on his Twitter page:

And though he seems to be upbeat, it still seems unlikely that head coach Roy Williams will allow him to play any meaningful minutes against a 13-seed mere days after having surgery on his wrist.

But even if Marshall can't go, the Tar Heels have plenty of weapons that can help them advance.

Ohio earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after upsetting Akron in the MAC championship, despite finishing third in the East division. The Bobcats' upsets thus far in the Big Dance have been impressive—first over fourth-seeded Michigan, then over 12th-seeded South Florida—but the Tar Heels present a more formidable challenge, with or without Marshall.

UNC, at 31-5, ranks fourth in the RPI with a strength-of-schedule rating of 0.5914. By comparison, Ohio (29-7) ranks 43rd with a 0.497 SOS. The Bobcats faced one ranked team this year—Louisville—and they dropped that one, 59-54. Their most impressive wins by far have come in the last couple of weeks, during the tournament.

Even with a freshman taking Marshall's spot at point guard, or with a senior who's spent only a couple of minutes all season running the point, the Tar Heels are still dangerous, and to discount them without Marshall is reckless.

Losing Marshall's March production (14.8 points per game, 10.3 assists per game, 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc) will hurt, but it will certainly not knock UNC out of contention—not against Ohio.

The Tar Heels enter the matchup leading the nation in rebounds per game with 45.2, leaving little doubt that they'll be able to out-muscle the Bobcats on the boards. Without Marshall, they still have their top two leading scorers in Harrison Barnes and Tyler Zeller, along with their top two rebounders in Zeller and John Henson.

There's obviously no underestimating the importance of the point guard, particularly when that point guard leads the nation in assists and has the ability to single-handedly dominate the tempo on the floor.

But the Tar Heels will simply have to adjust their game until he returns, and against Ohio, they'll be able to do it, no problem. Then they can worry about getting Marshall back, just a little bit healthier, for the Elite Eight.