UNC star freshman Anthony expected to miss 4-6 weeks
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. >> North Carolina star freshman point guard Cole Anthony is expected to miss four to six weeks after having arthroscopic knee surgery.
The school says Anthony had the procedure Monday to treat a partially torn meniscus in his right knee. He had missed Sunday’s loss to Wofford due to the injury, with UNC saying then that he was out indefinitely as treatment options were being evaluated.
Widely regarded as a potential NBA lottery pick if he enters the draft after one season, Anthony is averaging 19.1 points to rank second nationally among freshmen and has been the Tar Heels’ best player at creating his own shot.
The Tar Heels (6-4) are unranked for the first time since February 2014. They visit No. 2 Gonzaga on Wednesday night before facing UCLA on Saturday in Las Vegas for the CBS Sports Classic.
“Obviously not having a player of Cole’s caliber will be a tremendous challenge to our young team, but we have to play,” coach Roy Williams said in a statement. “No one player is going to replace the production Cole Anthony gives us, so it’s up to everyone who puts on a North Carolina jersey to raise his game and help our team play better.”
(5) OHIO STATE 80, SE MISSOURI STATE 48 >> Kaleb Wesson had 18 points and 10 rebounds as Ohio State bounced back from its first loss of the season and beat Southeast Missouri State.
Ohio State (10-1) was playing two days after it dropped an 8471 decision at Minnesota. That loss led to the Buckeyes dropping from third to fifth in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.
The Buckeyes played their second straight game without sophomore guard Duane Washington Jr., who was sidelined with an apparent rib injury. Washington is the team’s second-leading scorer at 11.4 points per game.
Andre Wesson scored 14 points, while Kyle Young and D.J. Carton each had 10 points for the Buckeyes.
D.Q. Nicholas and Isaiah Gable each had 10 points for Southeast Missouri State (3-8).
Ohio State hit 64% of its shots from the floor (14 of 22) in the first half. But the Buckeyes only led 3526 at the break after committing
13 first-half turnovers.
The teams traded baskets to start the second half before Ohio State went on a 22-2 run. Carton hit two 3s while Luther Muhammad and Kaleb Wesson each hit one during the burst, and Young and Andre Wesson each had
3-point plays as the Buckeyes went ahead 59-30 with 11:33 left.
Andre Wesson hit three 3s in a
90-second span to push the lead to 78-40 with 3:15 remaining.
(13) DAYTON 71, NORTH TEXAS 58 >> Jalen Crutcher and Ryan Mikesell scored 16 points apiece, and Dayton finally shook free at the end for a victory over North Texas.
The Flyers (9-1) took the court with their highest ranking since December 1968, when they made it as high as No. 6. A sloppy second half kept it close.
Dayton turned it over eight times in the second half, helping North Texas (4-7) cut the lead to nine points with six minutes left. Crutcher hit an unguarded 3-pointer that blunted the comeback, and the Mean Green fell short in their bid for a fourth alltime win over a ranked team.
Javion Hamlet had 19 points, and Zachary Simmons added 18 for North Texas.
The Mean Green tied the school record with 19 3-pointers during their last game, a 23-point win over Little Rock. Dayton extended its defense and made sure there would be no repeat.