North Carolina will have Matt Able on the floor when the Tar Heels open the season Monday night against Western Carolina.
That’s a welcome development for UNC as it begins the Michael Malone era, with Able cleared to play after sitting out the Tar Heels’ final preseason exhibition against Charlotte for undisclosed reasons. His availability had been one of the bigger lingering questions heading into the first game that counts, and now the answer is in.
Able was on the court for pregame warmups and is set to suit up for Carolina in the opener.
He had played in UNC’s first two preseason games before being held out against Charlotte. The sophomore guard’s Tar Heel debut against USC was a rough one - he finished scoreless and turned it over four times - but he bounced back in a much better showing against Indiana.
Against the Hoosiers, the NC State transfer scored 11 points and hit three of his five shots from three-point range, a reminder of the perimeter threat North Carolina is hoping to add to its backcourt this season.
UNC didn’t offer an explanation for why Able missed the Charlotte exhibition, but the Tar Heels will at least have one of their projected starters available to begin the regular season.
Able arrived in Chapel Hill this offseason after averaging 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a freshman at NC State while shooting 35.5 percent from beyond the arc. He’s expected to be a key part of a rebuilt UNC backcourt alongside Terrence Brown and Neo Avdalas.
North Carolina opens its 117th season of basketball at 7 PM EST Monday at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill.
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