NCAA Basketball: Impact of UNC freshman Cole Anthony's injury

NCAA Basketball: Impact of UNC freshman Cole Anthony’s long-term absence

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 15: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels waits to inbound the ball during the first half of their game against the Gardner-Webb Runnin Bulldogs at the Dean Smith Center on November 15, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – DECEMBER 07: Mamadi Diakite #25 of the Virginia Cavaliers shoots over Garrison Brooks #15 and Leaky Black #1 of the North Carolina Tar Heels (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

ACC teams benefit from UNC’s expected drop

No team or fellow peer player enjoys an injury to someone else. But the reality is that North Carolina’s loss of Cole Anthony is going to be someone else’s gain. Even in the most optimistic view of the Tar Heels going forward, they’re around the mid-tier of the ACC. That includes likely bubble teams such as Miami, NC State, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Virginia. In fact, January is going to have many bubble battles between UNC and other ACC Basketball teams.

If you are an ACC around the middle, your hope is that North Carolina simply plummets. With so much early chaos around the 2019-20 NCAA Basketball season, having a competitor out of the bubble picture is the best thing you can ask for. And don’t forget, UNC still has early wins over Notre Dame, Alabama, and Oregon. Unlike some of the other ACC teams, this one, in particular, can afford a bad loss like Wofford.

But if you’re a team such as Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech, you have to beat North Carolina next month without Anthony. If not then it’s hard to envision a path where they can make the NCAA Tournament. The upcoming three games for the Tar Heels in the non-conference will tell us whether or not they can remain steady without their best player.

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