Hubert Davis offers injury update on Leaky Black after win at NC State

North Carolina coach Hubert Davis provided an injury update on Tar Heels forward Leaky Black following an 84-74 victory against NC State on Saturday. The coach confirmed that Black hyperextended his knee in the win against the Wolfpack, but did not say how long it will keep him sidelined for.

He did, however, assure UNC fans that the injury isn’t something that will affect the forward long term.

“The great thing about it is it’s nothing serious and nothing is structurally damaged, but he did hyperextend his knee when he came down when he was contesting the shot against (Jericole) Hellems in the first half,” Davis said in his postgame press conference. “He felt like he could come out in the second half and play. I wanted to see him warm up. He said he felt good but he didn’t feel 100% comfortable cutting and making moves, so we rested him the rest of the game. Even though it’s not anything serious, he is hurt. My concern is, I’m thinking about Leaky. One of the things I told him in the locker room is, ‘How are you feeling?’ and he said, ‘Coach, I can play.’ I said, ‘I don’t believe you. I don’t care about this game. I care about you.’ So my number one concern is not, ‘Is he gonna be available for Syracuse on Monday night?’ My number one concern is, ‘Is Leaky gonna be OK?’ because I love him to death.”

Black managed to play 14 minutes in the first half before going down with the injury. He made his only shot attempt of the game to finish with two points and one rebound as North Carolina improved to 21-8 overall on the season. The senior has started every game this year and is averaging five points along with 4.2 rebounds per game.

His next chance to return to action will come at 7 p.m. ET Monday when the Tar Heels host Syracuse for Senior Day. Given that he has spent the past four years in Chapel Hill, it would be a shame if he is unable to go for that game. However, the most important thing is that he returns in time for both the ACC and NCAA Tournament. North Carolina was listed as one of the last four teams to make the tournament in On3’s most recent bracketology projections.

The Tar Heels will hope for a positive injury update on Leaky Black in the next couple of days as they look to solidify their postseason resume.