North Carolina’s Paige has broken bone in hand

CEDAR RAPIDS — Former Linn-Mar prep Marcus Paige has a broken bone in his right, non-shooting hand and will miss three to four weeks, the University of North Carolina announced late Wednesday afternoon.

That could mean Paige will not be able to play in his homecoming back to the state when the No. 1-ranked Tar Heels play Nov. 21 at Northern Iowa.

'I hate it for Marcus,' Coach Roy Williams said in a statement. 'He's such a wonderful young man — one of the most outstanding people I have been lucky to coach. I know he'll handle this with the same level of maturity and responsibility that he does everything else.

'Our team will certainly be challenged in his absence. We will need everyone up and down the roster to step up their games and take care of each other and our team until he gets back.'

Paige has led North Carolina in scoring the last two seasons. The senior is a preseason first-team all-American and Atlantic Coast Conference preseason player of the year.