Junior guard Dexter Strickland tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in Thursday night’s win over Virginia Tech, and UNC announced that he will sit out the rest of the 2011-12 men’s basketball season.

Before the ACL tear, Strickland was shooting a team-high 57 percent from the floor and averaging 7.5 points per game.

A torn ACL is a tear in the ligament in the knee that keeps the knee stable.

UNC Coach Roy Williams will provide quotes later Friday night. No surgery has yet been scheduled.

Strickland Tweeted Friday night at his fans:

Positive thinking! Everything happens for a reason, God always has a plan! Thanks to everyone who is praying for me! I appreciate it!

— Dexter Strickland (@DStrick01) January 21, 2012

Teammate Kendall Marshall worked his Twitter fan base to encourage Strickland’s recovery:

I need all my ladies out there to tweet @DStrick01 and send him your well wishes. I’m sure he would love that

— Kendall Marshall (@KButter5) January 21, 2012

ESPN’s Robbi Pickerall wrote about the impact of Strickland’s injury:

Sophomore guard Reggie Bullock will probably move up to the starting shooting guard slot, but he tends to look for his outside shot more than Strickland, who usually earned most of his 7.5 points per game in transition (which was why he was shooting a team-high 57 percent from the floor). Bullock’s defense has steadily improved this season, but it will have to be more of a focus with Strickland out.

Check back this weekend for updates on the story.