UNC's Title Contender Status Still Intact Despite Marcus Paige Hand Injury

North Carolina is in the top two of both preseason polls, and a big reason why is Marcus Paige is finally healthy.

Only on Tuesday, apparently, healthy Marcus Paige was replaced by the return of snake-bitten Marcus Paige when he fractured the third metacarpal on his right (non-shooting) hand in practice, UNC announced. Paige is expected to miss three to four weeks, which is the worst of this news.

But reason to question UNC as a title contender?

As long as this isn't a repeat of last year, probably not.

Paige spent all of last season fighting that pesky injury bug. It was one thing after another. He battled plantar fasciitis in his right foot, a hip injury and sprains in both ankles. Foot, hip and ankle injuries linger, and it was obvious to anyone who watched Paige his sophomore season that he just wasn't quite right last year.

Harry How/Getty Images

His scoring averaged dipped (17.5 PPG to 14.1). He struggled finishing around the basket, making just 47.8 percent of his shots at the rim after shooting 65.2 percent on those shots as a sophomore, according to Hoop-Math.com. It's not a leap to make a direct correlation to foot and ankle injuries.

This summer I ran into Roy Williams at Nike's Peach Jam, and one of the first questions I asked was "How's Marcus Paige?" Williams said he was finally healthy and feeling great.

That fact, Paige is healthy and feeling great, is why the Tar Heels are considered national title contenders.

Because last season, everything around Paige got better. Justin Jackson provided another perimeter scorer and was really gaining confidence late in the year, offering up hope that the Heels had finally found a second three-point shooter. Kennedy Meeks transformed his body and improved. Brice Johnson was more consistent scoring the ball.

The Heels finished off the season with a run to the ACC title game, knocking off Louisville and Virginia in the process.

Then came a run to the Sweet 16, which ended in a loss to Wisconsin that was one of those encouraging losses to a great team. The Heels looked like they belonged on the floor with the Badgers. They could have won that game, leading by seven nearly halfway through the second half.

So everyone but J.P. Tokoto returns. Gradual improvements made all around. A healthy Paige. That all adds up to a team that sure has the look of a title contender. And hence, the preseason No. 1 ranking.

Then Tuesday happened.

Cue UNC fans banging their heads against the wall. Not this again!

This is a setback for North Carolina, but it's probably nothing to overreact to. Injury luck is not a thing. The fact Paige had hip, ankle and foot issues last year had nothing to do with him messing up his hand.

The good news, if you're searching for a silver lining here, is Paige's legs, ankles and feet are unaffected. He didn't miss one game last year, but again, those injuries had an impact on his performance.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Assuming Paige's hand heals and this isn't anything that lingers, nothing changes for the Heels. If there's any injury that should be easy to return from, it's one to a guy's non-shooting hand. He should still be able to work out. His shot should be fine. And so should the Heels. 

UNC's schedule is pretty soft until Dec. 1 when Maryland comes to Chapel Hill, and that's right around the time when Paige would return. And maybe this gives guys like Nate Britt, Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson a chance to build their confidence.

This is still a team capable of winning a national title with a healthy Marcus Paige. A hand injury in early November should be nothing but a footnote.

C.J. Moore covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @CJMooreBR.