by Bill DiFilippo / @bflip33
Eligibility questions surrounding two of North Carolina’s best players will hold them out of tonight’s game against Holy Cross.
Guards PJ Hairston and Leslie McDonald will sit tonight when the No. 12 Tar Heels take on the Crusaders in Chapel Hill, marking the second straight game that the two will sit.
The two are sitting because of an ongoing NCAA investigation into the two receiving impermissible benefits. While the two have been practicing, they will not play in a game until the matter is resolved.
From The News & Observer:
The university has remained quiet about the case, and hasn’t detailed why it has taken so long to resolve. That stance continued Thursday.
“The university and the NCAA are still working together to resolve an eligibility issue,” Steve Kirschner, a UNC athletic department spokesman, said before Williams’ regularly-scheduled meeting with reporters. “There’s no timetable. It’ll be done when it’s done.”
Whether that’s in a day, a week or a month—or longer—remains unclear. What is clear is the uncertainty surrounding Hairston and McDonald has become a part of the Tar Heels’ normal routine in this abnormal early season.
The duo are the most experienced guards for the Tar Heels. McDonald is the only senior guard on scholarship for Roy Williams, while Hairston led the team in scoring last season.
