The final few games are upon us, and both UNC and State have suffered critical injuries. For the Heels, it's Jackie Manuel (ankle) and Raymond Felton (sore toe). For State, it's Scooter Sherrill (severe ankle sprain).
UNC's are less critical in that they'll probably be back pretty soon, if not actually for tonight's game with Clemson. That still stiffs their rotation and depth for a week or so, but they should be fine with some rest.
For State, it's a bit more critical. They lose a senior, an ace defender, and a guy who can shoot, though he's not shot well lately. It's a tough blow for them. Though State could still tie for first, if Duke loses both remaining games, with Maryland coming in in a desperate situation, and then a visit to Wake Forest to close out the regular season, it's a bad time for injuries, and they could fall to . And in the case of Wake, it's particularly bad, because Sherrill would have been able to defend any of their guards.