Fansided

North Carolina’s P.J. Hairston, Leslie McDonald to miss second straight game

By Josh Davis

Jan 12, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Pj Hairston (15) dunks the ball past Florida State Seminoles guard Michael Snaer (21) and forward Terrance Shannon (2) during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 12, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Pj Hairston (15) dunks the ball past Florida State Seminoles guard Michael Snaer (21) and forward Terrance Shannon (2) during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 12, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Pj Hairston (15) dunks the ball past Florida State Seminoles guard Michael Snaer (21) and forward Terrance Shannon (2) during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 12, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Pj Hairston (15) dunks the ball past Florida State Seminoles guard Michael Snaer (21) and forward Terrance Shannon (2) during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /

The North Carolina Tar Heels are going to have to deal with Holy Cross on Friday without the services of last season’s leading scorer and junior P.J. Hairston, along with senior Leslie McDonald.

The good news? It’s Holy Cross and the 12th ranked Heels should win going away regardless of the missing pieces. The bad news? This will be the second straight game that the pair has missed due to an ongoing NCAA investigation.

Head coach Roy Williams put it into perspective with few words but a clear message of just needing to deal with whatever comes and make the best of it. “It’s what it is. Everybody’s trying to do their best. We’re trying to move along.”

It’s not as if UNC can be without their two perimeter stars for long though. Each represents the biggest threats for baby-blue from three-point range and both are ball handlers. Along with the veteran presence, that’s a pretty good chunk of team chemistry missing. On the plus side, some young players may get some valuable early season experience that could help the Heels down the road.

There’s no official word yet whether either of those two players would be ruled eligible for a game against Belmont on Sunday. The team is playing in the Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament, starting Friday.