Cole Anthony Undergoes Arthroscopic Procedure; Will Miss 4-6 Weeks

Cole Anthony will be sidelined after undergoing a knee procedure.

North Carolina will be without Cole Anthony for at least the next month.

According to the university, the star freshman underwent an arthroscopic procedure for a partially torn meniscus in his right knee on Monday and will miss an estimated 4-6 weeks.

"Obviously not having a player of Cole’s caliber will be a tremendous challenge to our young team, but we have to play,” Roy Williams said in a release. “No one player is going to replace the production Cole Anthony gives us, so it’s up to everyone who puts on a North Carolina jersey to raise his game and help our team play better.”

Anthony, who averaged 19.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists over the Tar Heels' first nine games, accounted for nearly one third of Carolina's field goal attempts before sitting out Sunday's loss to Wofford.

UNC Isn't a Good Team Right Now And Showed Why Down the Stretch in Loss to Wofford

His absence came as a surprise, as it was announced several hours before tipoff that he would miss the game with a sore knee.

Without Anthony or backup ballhandler Leaky Black, the Tar Heels turned to former walk-on K.J. Smith and freshmen Jeremiah Francis and Anthony Harris as primary ballhandlers.

The offense ran more smoothly at times as Carolina racked up 17 assists on 23 field goals, but the Tar Heels ultimately missed Anthony's ability to create shots for himself and others as they were unable to rally past the Terriers.

The Tar Heels (6-4) travel to Spokane, Wash. to meet No. 2 Gonzaga on Wednesday before traveling to Las Vegas to take on UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday.

On a four-week recovery, Anthony would miss six games if he's available to return for the Jan. 18 game at Pittsburgh.

Carolina visits N.C. State on Jan. 27.