, who played without top point guard and No. 2 scorer Joel Berry II. UNC didn't get in any kind of groove, with the 6-foot-8 Jackson largely carrying the offense. Jack Gibbs - ranked seventh nationally by averaging 23.3 points - finished with 30 points for the Wildcats (5-3), who trailed by 16 midway through the second half before making a late push to get within three in the final 2 minutes. But Kennedy Meeks answered with two free throws, then Isaiah Hicks followed with two more after getting a big rebound in traffic with 52 seconds left to help UNC hang on. BIG PICTUREDavidson: Gibbs is the kind of scorer that can scare any opponent when he gets hot, while Peyton Aldridge (22 points) provides his own matchup troubles. And with a veteran coach like Bob McKillop, this is the kind of team that scares big-name teams come tournament time. UNC: The Tar Heels got a glimpse of life without arguably their top player in Berry. Nate Britt got the start, while Seventh Woods and Stilman White saw plenty of minutes at the point. But the Tar Heels missed Berry's finish-through-contact toughness, leadership and scoring ability. UP NEXTDavidson: The Wildcats get a 10-day break before playing their fifth power-conference opponent this year, facing No. 3 Kansas on Dec. 17 in Kansas City, Missouri. UNC: The Tar Heels begin a two-game set with Southeastern Conference opponents, first by hosting Tennessee on Sunday before facing No. 6 Kentucky on Dec. 17 in Las Vegas.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25)
Time: 09:00 P.M. EST CHAPEL HILL, N. C. -- North Carolina will be without junior point guard Joel Berry for Wednesday night's game against Davidson, but the Tar Heels should have plenty of options to make it through the short term." You don't want to see your teammate get hurt like that, especially Joel, who has been a big leader for us," forward Isaiah Hicks said. "But Coach (Roy Williams) says North Carolina has got to play. We can worry about him when we are not playing, but when we are playing we got to try to win." The seventh-ranked Tar Heels (8-1) take on Davidson (5-2) at the Smith Center. With Berry out, the extra court time is likely to go to senior guard Nate Britt, who has been a part-time starter on the wing, and freshman Seventh Woods. Williams said Tuesday afternoon that he hasn't decided on who'll be in the starter's role. Woods said he has been frustrated at times, but it has been a time for learning." You have Joel and Nate, two veteran point guards, and I've learned a lot from just sitting on the bench watching them, and from going against them in practice," Woods said. Berry suffered a sprained left ankle Sunday in the second half of a romp past Radford. His status for next Sunday's game against Tennessee remains uncertain. Berry is the Tar Heels' second-leading scorer with 14.8 points per game. He was the Most Valuable Player of the Maui Invitational last month. Woods played 22 minutes against Radford, though he said the time was tainted by his five turnovers." I looked at it as an opportunity," he said. The Tar Heels seem relieved that the extent of Berry's injury doesn't appear severe." Joel is tough," Hicks said. "He's going to be all right. We don't have to baby him a lot." Meanwhile, North Carolina junior swingman Theo Pinson had X-rays Monday that showed the broken bone in his right foot is healing as expected. He suffered the injury Oct. 26, with the timetable for his return coming after eight to 12 weeks. He hasn't yet been cleared for running and jumping. Davidson failed to protect an 11-point, second-half lead in Sunday's 76-61 loss at College of Charleston. The Wildcats fell short, according to veteran coach Bob McKillop, because of "decisions, details and discipline." "They made us make some bad decisions," McKillop said. McKillop said it was the first time that the Wildcats had a sizable margin and had it taken away this season. He said he hopes the experience is something to learn from." We did not respond to it," he said. "It's part of the process." North Carolina has a 64-11 all-time advantage in the series against Davidson, which has lost its last seven meetings with the Tar Heels. This marks the fourth season in a row that the teams will face each other. After traveling to New Orleans, Hawaii and Indiana across the first few weeks of the season, Williams said the Tar Heels should benefit from practice time without boarding a plane for the next game." All of a sudden you think a little bit about helping your team get better, but you also have to start talking about another opponent," he said.
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