UNC’s Joel Berry will play in CBS Sports Classic against Kentucky

Editor’s note: We previously reported that Joel Berry might not be available to play due to recovering from a sprained left ankle. Berry will be available to play Saturday, Carolina basketball tweeted out Friday afternoon. An updated story is below.

North Carolina will have its hands full Saturday when it meets Kentucky at T-Mobile Arena. The Tar Heels be up against an even taller task if guard Joel Berry is unavailable.

Berry’s status for the CBS Sports Classic was uncertain early Friday, as the point guard has been recovering from a sprained left ankle. The UNC game against Kentucky is the second in a noon doubleheader that starts with UCLA vs. Ohio State.

Coach Roy Williams told reporters Thursday before practice that he was neither optimistic nor pessimistic about Berry’s status for the game, as he hadn’t seen him. Berry was scheduled to practice Thursday but was limited.

UNC basketball tweeted Friday afternoon that Berry will be available to play Saturday.

“Joel Berry expected to play tomorrow vs Kentucky. Has missed last two games due to sprained ankle. Practiced the last two days. #UNCBBall.”

Berry is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.8 points, and leads the team with 4.7 assists while providing the Tar Heels with a veteran presence. Without him, the Tar Heels are a vastly different team.

Nate Britt has started both games in his absence and is 4-for-22 from the floor in those two games.

“Joel was averaging, whatever, 17, 16 or something like that, shooting 50 and 45 percent — we haven’t done that,” Williams said Thursday. “So that’s what we miss, plus defensively.”

Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.