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.
Kendall Marshall Injury: UNC Guard Optimistic He Can Play Through Broken Wrist
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.
“I’ve never had an injury, so I don’t know,” Marshall said. “Like I said, the doctors ... all they said it was a fracture.”
He also noted that the injury occurred with 10 minutes to go, or thereabout, and the pain increased as the game went along. Marshall was worried about the pressure Creighton guards were putting on him as the game wound down, and the pain went from feeling like his funny bone was hit to a more intense pain.
As for what’s next, he’ll be reevaluated soon -- tonight or on Monday morning -- and go from there. In the meantime, Marshall said he plans to rest, keep his wrist immobile and try to take it easy in the hopes of playing.
Even if he’s able to go, one would have to imagine his effectiveness won’t be anywhere near what it was before the injury occurred. Teams now know what he’s dealing with, creating matchup problems and an advantage for North Carolina’s upcoming opponent in the Sweet 16, and perhaps beyond.
Full audio of the interview can be found here. We’ll be back with more on Marshall in this StoryStream.
For up-to-the-minute scores on all NCAA Tournament games, please check out SI.com’s complete scoreboard.
For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stick around SB Nation’s NCAA Tournament hub. There you’ll find a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on who was snubbed, who got the best bracket and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.
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