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North Carolina Tar Heels PG Joel Berry II's ankles at 85 percent, expects to play vs. Oregon Ducks

By The Sports Xchange

North Carolina junior point guard Joel Berry II termed his injured ankles as 85 percent healed on Friday, one day before the top-seeded Tar Heels face third-seeded Oregon in the Final Four.

Berry sprained his left ankle in last Sunday's victory over Kentucky. He also has been dealing with a sprained right ankle since tweaking it during North Carolina's first-round win over Texas Southern.

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"I think I'll be effective," Berry told reporters. "It's a matter of just getting into the game and not worrying about it. Once I do that, it will be good."

Berry said he was a full participant in North Carolina's practice on Friday in Glendale, Ariz.

Junior forward Justin Jackson said he expects his teammate to play.

"If he can't play there's something more wrong," Jackson said. "I don't think there was ever a thought in our mind that he wasn't going to play, just the type of guy that he is. But it does give us more confidence knowing that he'll be out there with us.

Said junior swingman Theo Pinson: "He better play."

Berry is averaging 15.6 points and 3.1 assists.

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