By R.L. Bynum
It isn’t clear if guard Seth Trimble will return to action for North Carolina on Tuesday against SMU, but he’s making progress and Assistant Coach Sean May suggested he’ll play against the Mustangs.
Coach Hubert Davis said during the ACC Zoom press conference on Monday that Trimble, who has missed the last three games with a upper-body injury, practiced on Sunday.
“He did one full-contact drill,” Davis said. “But I haven’t spoken with him today. We practice at three, so I’ll have more of an update after practice [Monday], but he did practice yesterday.”
Carolina (9–6, 2–1 ACC) hosts SMU (11–3, 2–1) at 9 p.m. Tuesday (ACC Network).
May, substituting for Davis on “Hubert Davis Live” radio show Monday, after that Monday practice struck an optimistic tone.
“Seth had to get healthy, and I think the smartest thing for him was to take the time that he needed to get healthy,” May said. “We’re are glad we’re gonna have him back, no question. And we look for him to have a big game [Tuesday] so we come on top with a win.”
Trimble, a 6–3 junior, suffered the injury in practice the day before the 97–81 victory Dec. 29 over Campbell. He missed that game and, although he has traveled with the team, he also missed the road games against Louisville and Notre Dame.
“He kind of stabilizes you ,” May said. “He can go guard anybody. He can switch. You can put him on a big guy, and know that he’s okay. So for us not to have him, his ability to put pressure on the rim, another person that can can that has been making threes for us. So it was a void, and we did feel it.”
His return would be a big asset on defense. Trimble is UNC’s best on-ball defender and probably would have helped hold down Louisville’s Chucky Hepburn, who scored 27 points in the Cardinals’ 83–70 victory on Wednesday, and Notre Dame’s Markus Burton, who netted 23 points in the Tar Heels’ 74–73 victory on Saturday.
Trimble is averaging 14.8 points and 4.8 rebounds, both career-highs, and has a career-high 21 steals through 12 games.
The big question is who will start when Trimble returns given that freshman guard Ian Jackson has scored at least 23 points in the last four games, three as a starter, including 27 points at Notre Dame.
That will be a good problem for the coaching staff to figure out.
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Duke | 17–1 | 29–2 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 10 Virginia | 15–3 | 27–4 | 13 | 11 |
| Miami | 13–5 | 24–7 | 32 | 28 |
| No. 19 North Carolina | 12–6 | 24–7 | 23 | 19 |
| Clemson | 12–6 | 22–9 | 36 | 33 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 11–7 | 22–9 | 14 | 25 |
| N.C. State | 10–8 | 19–12 | 35 | 45 |
| Florida State | 10–8 | 17–14 | 69 | 74 |
| California | 9–9 | 21–10 | 65 | 49 |
| Stanford | 9–9 | 20–11 | 59 | 51 |
| SMU | 8–10 | 19–12 | 39 | 50 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–10 | 19–12 | 53 | 52 |
| Wake Forest | 7–11 | 16–15 | 64 | 81 |
| Syracuse | 6–12 | 15–16 | 83 | 92 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–13 | 12–19 | 109 | 146 |
| Notre Dame | 4–14 | 13–18 | 93 | 121 |
| Boston College | 4–14 | 11–20 | 159 | 217 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–16 | 11–20 | 167 | 210 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
No. 1 Duke 76, No. 19 North Carolina 61
Boston College 77, Notre Dame 69
Clemson 79, Georgia Tech 76
No. 24 Louisville 92, Miami 89
Florida State 92, SMU 78
Stanford 85, N.C. State 84
Wake Forest 80, California 73
Pittsburgh 71, Syracuse 69, OT
END OF REGULAR SEASON
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday through Saturday
Non-conference schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday | at Georgetown |
| 15 | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| January | ||
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
ACC opponents
Home and away: Duke and Louisville
Home only: California, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford and Virginia
Away only: Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Don’t play: Clemson
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
