UNC's Brooks heads to dentist after tourney win

COLUMBUS, Ohio --North Carolinasophomore forward Garrison Brooks lost a tooth and broke another when he was hit with an elbow from Washington's Noah Dickerson in the Tar Heels' NCAA tournament win Sunday.

The incident happened around the 12:20 mark of the first half. Brooks left the court and received stitches for a cut on his lip but returned for the second half.

"Garrison, he'll have to go see the dentist before we leave town to get two teeth straightened out," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said.

Officials reviewed the collision and determined that Dickerson "made a normal basketball play with the ball over his shoulders and his arms more vertical than horizontal," according to an NCAA statement given to a pool reporter after the game. No foul was assessed, and Dickerson scored to cut North Carolina's lead to 21-12.

Brooks finished with five points, five rebounds and three assists in North Carolina's 81-59 victory.

"He was just huge for us," senior forward Luke Maye said. "And it really shows how much character we have in the locker room."

North Carolina guard Kenny Williams strained his hamstring in the game but returned and recorded a team-high three steals.

The Tar Heels, the top seed in the Midwest region, will face Auburn in the Sweet 16 later this week.