The father of North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall says his son is ''doing much better'' and experiencing less pain a day after surgery on his broken right wrist.
In a text message to The Associated Press, Dennis Marshall said his son was improving and had ''slept through the night.''
However, Kendall Marshall's playing status is still uncertain
The left-handed sophomore was hurt when he was fouled on a drive in the second half of Sunday's win against Creighton in the NCAA tournament. He had surgery Monday to insert a screw in the wrist, leaving him uncertain to play Friday in St. Louis against Ohio in the round of 16 or afterward.
The Tar Heels (31-5) are the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional.
Marshall, from Dumfries, Va., is a second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference pick who has 351 assists in 36 games, the best season total in league history and fourth most in NCAA history.
The pass-first point guard is averaging about eight points and 10 assists, though he has stepped up his offense recently and scored in double figures the past six games. He had 18 points and 11 assists in the 87-73 win against the Bluejays, his fifth double-double in that span.
He played about 7 minutes after the injury before leaving the game late with the victory secured.
Marshall has been the Tar Heels' most irreplaceable player, leading the fast-paced offense with his see-everything court vision and perfect pitch-ahead passes in transition.
The Tar Heels lost No. 2 ballhandler Dexter Strickland to a season-ending knee injury in January. If Marshall can't go, the job would fall to freshman Stilman White and versatile senior Justin Watts.
