Kendall Marshall is expected to have surgery today to repair the wrist fracture he suffered Sunday in North Carolina’s victory over Creighton on Sunday in the NCAA tournament.

Kendall's father, Dennis, told Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com that a screw will be inserted in his son’s right, non-shooting wrist and his availability Friday for the Tar Heels’ Sweet 16 game against Ohio will depend on how much pain he can take.

Marshall fractured his scaphoid bone on a hard foul from Creighton’s Ethan Wragge as Marshall attempted a right-handed layup with 10 minutes, 56 seconds left. Although Marshall joked that “I only dribble with my left hand anyway,” the mood in the Tar Heels’ locker room reflected just how seriously the injury impacts UNC’s hopes of winning a national title.

“Devastating,” Harrison Barnes said. “A shock to all of us.”

“An incredible blow,” Tyler Zeller said.

It won’t be easy to replace Marshall, if it comes to that. He stepped up when Dexter Strickland’s season was ended in January by a knee injury and was a second-team all-ACC player. He scored 18 points Sunday, his sixth straight double-figure game. If Marshall can’t play or is limited, freshman Stilman White and senior Justin Watts are expected to fill in.

“When you go to the Sweet 16,” Williams said, “it’s supposed to be a lot more fun than this,” Williams said.

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