NC State head coach Kevin Keatts isn’t sure if junior point guard Markell Johnson will be healthy enough to play Thursday at Louisville.
Johnson went up high to try and block a shot against Pittsburgh Jan. 12, but came crashing down on his hip and back, ending his afternoon after playing just nine minutes. He missed the 71-67 loss at Wake Forest on Jan. 15 and the 77-73 win at Notre Dame last Saturday.
The No. 21-ranked Wolfpack now know how to play without their floor general from Cleveland, but it would rather have his explosiveness and ability to shoot 46 percent from three-point land on the court.
“He’s a guy that can play on Thursday or play three or four weeks from now,” Keatts said. “I know that sounds a little weird to say that. I am not going to play him until mentally and physically he feels ready to play.
“He took a pretty nasty fall. He doesn’t have a lot of meat in that area, so he fell on his hip and his back. He is really, really sore.”
Johnson is averaging 13 points per game if you take out his two injury-shortened appearances this season. He erupted for 27 points and went 5 of 8 on three-pointers in the 78-71 win over then-No. 7 Auburn Dec. 19, and he also had 20 points and four three-pointers in the 87-82 comeback win at Miami on Jan. 3.
Johnson has been getting shots up with no contact at practice. He has shown good progress of late, according to his coach.
“If he is able to play and he feels that he can play, and the doctors and the trainers say he can play, then certainly, we’ll love to have him back in the lineup playing," Keatts said.
Sophomore Braxton Beverly has taken over the point guard duties in Johnson’s absence. He has 11 assists to just five turnovers the last three games. However, he is shooting just a combined 7 of 29 from the field (24.1 shooting percentage), including 6 of 24 on three-pointers (25.0).
NC State also played parts of the second half in the victory over the Fighting Irish with redshirt junior C.J. Bryce orchestrating the offense. Bryce worked on his playmaking skills and jump shot while redshirting last year after transferring in from UNCW, following Keatts to Raleigh.
“Markell is a big piece of our puzzle,” Bryce said. “Playing without him can be tough at times because he is our starting point guard. Whatever I need to do for the team to win, I’ll do it.”
Louisville is off to a 4-1 start in the ACC, with the four wins by an average margin of 19 points. Sophomore power forward Jordan Nwora has broken out this season, averaging 18.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, and he is also shooting 41.1 percent from three-point land. He has gone a combined 22 of 32 from the field (68.8) for 57 points the last two contests.
“Nwora is playing really good basketball,/29 and he is shooting the ball well,” Keatts said.
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