Kendall Marshall Will Miss the Rest of the NCAA Tournament if History is Any Indicator

North Carolina's national championship hopes took a huge blow on Sunday, when starting point guard Kendall Marshall fractured his wrist.

The sophomore suffered a fractured scaphoid bone in his right wrist in UNC's 87-73 win against Creighton.

Marshall had surgery Monday morning. There has been no word on whether or not he will be able to play at all this season, after suffering the injury.

There has been no official word on Marshall's status, but looking at other basketball players who have had similar injuries, it's hard to believe that the point guard will be play the rest of the NCAA Tournament.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao broke his wrist earlier this NBA season, and has yet to return to the court. Varejao last played on Feb. 10, and may not play for the rest of the season.

The center was originally supposed to be out four to six weeks, but now the injury is taking longer to heal than expected. His wrist didn't require surgery, and there's still a chance he won't play again this year.

Jerrmaine O'Neal has also been having issues with his wrist this season. He hasn't played in a game for the Celtics since Feb 20.

There's a chance Marshall will try to play because the injury occurred on his non-shooting hand. Even if he takes the court, it's hard to imagine the point guard will be effective. Opposing players will be aware that Marshall will only be strong going to his left, and his presence might do more harm than good.

The Tar Heels still have a few days to make a decision on Marshall's status. North Carolina doesn't take the court again until Friday night, when they'll play Ohio for a trip to the Elite Eight.

If history tells us anything, Syracuse won't be the only number one seed without one of their top players for the rest of the Tournament.