Come on time to honor Leaky Black.
Ceremonies for “seniors” Black, graduate transfer Brady Manek and walk-on Ryan McAdoo will start promptly at 6:40 before Monday night’s last home game against Syracuse, which is reeling after getting blown out at home by Duke Saturday.
Leaky is questionable after hyperextending his right knee late in the first half of the laugher at N.C. State and sat out the second half, hopefully, as a precaution. He is the sixth Tar Heel to surpass 500 points, 400 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 50 blocks in his career.
Besides properly honoring the underrated and oft-unappreciated Black, this may be the last time we see him on Roy Williams Court. There is the chance he comes back as a COVID super-senior next year, although Black has yet to make that decision.
His season is not over, but Hubert Davis wants him ready for Duke Saturday and the ACC tournament next week, where the Tar Heels’ NCAA fate may be determined.
UNC needs Black to get out on Buddy Boeheim and the other Orange shooters, but Puff Johnson’s emergence could help in this game. Cam’s kid brother had 16 points in 29 minutes, both career highs, at PNC including three “3 point plays” — two long balls and three free throws after being fouled on another attempt from the arc.
Puff is Leaky’s size at 6-8 and, while not having his defensive skills, plays hard on that end. And, offensively, he could find soft spots in the corners against the ‘Cuse zone with his left-handed jumpers.
With another win, the Heels will clinch one of the ACC’s top four seeds for a double bye into Thursday at the tournament in Brooklyn.
It would help if 12-6 Miami, which holds the tiebreaker over UNC, lost at either BC or Syracuse this week, so the Tar Heels could get the third seed and face Notre Dame in the semis Friday at the Barclays Center instead of Duke for the second time in six days.
Before that, they would likely have to face Wake Forest, Virginia Tech or Virginia in the Thursday quarter finals.
First things first, beat the Orange and then get another Quad 1 win somewhere to punch their ticket to the Dance. If not with Leaky, do it for him.
Photo via Todd Melet.
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