Kendall Marshall Undergoes Surgery On Broken Wrist; Elite Eight Status Uncertain

Marshall suffered a broken scaphoid bone in his right wrist during North Carolina’s win over Creighton in the round of 32. He underwent surgery to insert a screw to stabilize his wrist and will likely require at least six weeks to heal but hoped to be able to play wearing a brace. His status for Sunday was first reported by InsideCarolina.com and confirmed by CBS Sports.

With Marshall on the sidelines, freshman Stillman White will start at point guard against the Jayhawks. Making his first career start, White scored two points with six assists in 32 minutes in North Carolina’s Sweet 16 win against Ohio.

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“I have a strong, strong inclination that he’s not going to play,” Williams said on Thursday. “If he comes into my room tomorrow and says ‘Hey, my wrist feels great’ and drops down on the floor and does ten one-handed push ups on his right hand, then I’d say I’d probably play his rear-end. But I don’t expect that to happen, I mean the guy can’t brush his teeth right now.”

Marshall broke his right wrist during UNC’s round of 32 victory over Creighton on Sunday. He had a successful surgery on the wrist Monday morning.

Marshall, who is widely-regarded as one of the nation’s best passers, is arguably Roy Williams’ most important player. His 3.48 assist-to-turnover ratio in 2011-12 is the second-best in a single season in ACC history, and his career 3.01 assist-to-turnover ratio is currently the best all-time in the conference. He’s currently averaging 9.8 assists per game, to go with 8.1 points and 1.2 steals.

But where does UNC turn if Marshall can’t play at all? Is Stilman White good enough to take this team to the Final Four and perhaps win a national championship? And how does Larry Drew factor into all of this?

According to a release from the university, a screw was successfully inserted into Marshall’s fractured scaphoid bone. The release also stated it wasn’t known whether the sophomore would be able to play Friday night in the Tar Heels’ Sweet 16 game against Ohio University.

Marshall suffered the injury when he fell to the floor after being fouled with 10:53 left in North Carlina’s 87-73 win over Creighton on Sunday. He continued to play in the game, finishing with 18 points and 11 assists.

What had been a dream run through Greensboro with two dominant performances turned into a nightmare for the North Carolina Tar Heels, as sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall suffered a fractured right wrist during the team’s 87-73 win over Creighton on Sunday. Marshall will have surgery Monday to repair a fractured scaphoid bone in the wrist, making it unlikely he will be able to suit up at a minimum for next Friday’s Midwest Regional semifinal against Ohio University, if not the remainder of the NCAA Tournament.

Marshall, the engine of the ACC regular-season champion Tar Heels, suffered the injury with 10:56 left in Sunday’s win after falling hard to the floor and bracing himself with his right wrist on a drive to the basket. Here’s video of the play:

Kendall Marshall will have surgery to repair his broken wrist on Monday, according to a report following North Carolina’s win over Creighton. Marshall came down hard on his wrist midway through the second half on Sunday, suffering a fractured scaphoid bone in the process. He continued to play, though the pain intensified as the game progressed.

Related: Video of Kendall Marshall’s injury.

Kendall Marshall broke his wrist with about 10 minutes left in Sunday’s matchup with Creighton, but did end up finishing the game. The injury occurred following a collision at the rim, and has put his status for the rest of the NCAA Tournament in doubt. Marshall, however, didn’t seem to be phased after the game.

When asked what the next step is, Marshall didn’t really have an answer, saying “All we know is that it’s a fracture and I’ll get on the bus. That’s the next step.” Other than hearing he fractured his wrist from the doctors, Marshall was unsure of the details. It’s an unfamiliar situation, Marshall added.

The news comes from Will Brinson.

Here’s where it happened: