The Confidential

Tar Heels Lose Dexter Strickland to Season-Ending Injury

While it is difficult to be too critical of a team ranked in the top 10, most people figured that the #8 North Carolina Tar Heels would be a top 2 or 3 team all season.  It hasn’t quite panned out that way, including losses to UNLV and a 33-point drubbing by Florida State.  It now gets worse for the Tar Heels, who will be losing Junior Dexter Strickland for the rest of the season with a torn right ACL.

Obviously Strickland is not one of the top 3 for North Carolina.  Everyone knows that Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and Tyler Zeller are the leaders and future NBA players.  And Kendall Marshall has been the distributor.  But Strickland was a key figure for North Carolina on the defensive end.  Coach Roy Williams had this to say about the Strickland injury:

“That’s a big-time loss for us,” Williams said of Strickland, who tore the ACL in his right knee Thursday night and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. “He was our best perimeter defender, gave us some minutes at the backup point guard spot, could really run to help our break.

“He’s a big-time loss for us, and hopefully somebody else will be able to step up and be able to do a much better job defensively each and every night to help make up for Dexter.”   [See article.]

Strickland averaged 7.5 points and 1.3 steals per game for North Carolina on the season.

Sophomore Reggie Bullock is likely to be the starter.  Bullock is 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game off the bench.  Strickland also subbed for Marshall at the point, which means that Freshman Stilman White is going to have to handle that chore.  White has not been used much this year and is averaging less than a point and assist per game.