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North Carolina State Guardsman Terquavion Smith is stretchered off and taken to the hospital with neck and elbow injuries after a terrifying fall following a UNC foul.
North Carolina State guard Terquavion Smith was carried off the court on a stretcher after a terrifying fall leading to the basket during the Wolfpack’s 80-69 loss to North Carolina on Saturday.
Smith, the ACC’s leading scorer, suffered a terrifying injury and had to be carried off the court with 9:45 remaining in the second half.
The sophomore attacked the rim and tried to finish off a left-handed running back, but North Carolina’s Leaky Black arm caught Smith in the face as he tried to block the shot.
North Carolina state guard Terquavion Smith was stretchered off the field after a terrifying fall
The North Carolina State Guardsman fell backwards and landed hard on the ground. As he fell, Smith appeared to try to catch himself with his right arm, and the show later announced that he had sustained injuries to his elbow and neck.
Black was called for a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game.
Immediately after hitting the court at the Smith Center, the guard received medical attention as his teammates crowded around him.
North Carolina’s Leaky Black arm caught Smith in the face as he tried to block the shot.
After landing on the court, the sophomore received medical attention from the coaches.
He remained on the court for several minutes while being attended to by many of his visibly upset and concerned teammates.
After the coaches attended to him, he was loaded onto the stretcher and carried off the court before being taken to the hospital.
After the game, NC State coach Kevin Keatts said, ‘Our thoughts and prayers at this time are with Terquavion.
‘It’s a very emotional situation for me right now. … My prayers and my thoughts always go out to my players in these kinds of moments.’
His teammates gathered around Smith as they tended to him with many visibly upset.
The coach added that he believes his players handled the situation well after Smith’s injury.
“Our guys are very close, a very close group,” Keatts said. “I thought we handled it the best we could.”
No information on Smith’s condition was released, but the player took to Twitter on Saturday night, posting, “I’m fine, thanks for all the prayers and concern,” followed by a heart emoji.
Smith, who finished with 12 points before the injury, is an early second-round pick in the 2023 NBA draft, according to Sports Illustrated.
NC State coach Kevin Keatts believed his player handled the situation well after Smith’s injury.
Following Smith’s injury, North Carolina led 34-33 at halftime before sealing a dominant second-half victory.
Armando Bacot set the North Carolina record with his 61st career double-double, breaking a tie with Billy Cunningham. He also passed Tyler Hansbrough for first place on UNC’s career rebounding list, 1,221-1,219.
The Tar Heels (14-6, 6-3), who have won three straight and nine of the last 11, improved to 10-0 at home this season, including 5-0 in ACC play.
The loss snapped North Carolina State’s four-game winning streak.