Hubert Davis gives injury update on Pete Nance ahead of Notre Dame matchup

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Hubert Davis issued an injury update on starting forward Pete Nance on Friday afternoon.

Nance is day-to-day with a back injury that he suffered earlier this week in a win over Wake Forest. Nance played just 2 minutes in the contest.

“If he feels good enough to play, he’ll play,” Davis added.

From #UNC HC Hubert Davis: Pete Nance's back has improved every day this week. It's a day-to-day thing.

"If he feels good enough to play, he'll play," Davis said.

Nance left the Wake Forest game with tightness in his lower back.

— Ross Martin (@RossMartin_IC) January 6, 2023

Nance has been a key part of North Carolina’s season so far. He’s averaging 10.9 points per game while shooting 50% from the field. He’s also making 35.2% of his 3-point attempts on a volume of 3.5 shots per game.

But perhaps more importantly, Nance is arguably Carolina’s best defensive player outside of Leaky Black. His versatility on that end is an upgrade over Brady Manek from a year ago and should pay dividends as the season goes on.

If Nance isn’t able to play, Justin McKoy is the most likely candidate to start in his place. McKoy played a season-high 17 minutes against Wake Forest.

Carolina is favored to win 6 of its next 7 games, according to projections from KenPom. The lone exception is UNC’s matchup at Virginia on Jan. 10.

UNC will be in action again on Saturday against Notre Dame in Chapel Hill.