New York -- It appears as if Bourama Sidibe is headed for postseason surgery.

"Bourama has been hurt," Syracuse baskeball coach Jim Boeheim said late Wednesday night, after his Orange lost to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament. "His knee is bothering hm. When he gets going, he's a good player. I think he can get his knee fixed pretty easily. It's not a big fix. And I think he'll be fully healthy next year."

SU athletic trainer Brad Pike has described the process to repair Sidibe's knee tendinitis. The surgeon would essentially carve away the deteriorated part of the tendon. Pike likened it to scraping off the bruise on a banana. Dr. Brad Raphael would likely perform the surgery after Syracuse officially ends its 2017-18 season. Sidibe could be fully functional by mid- to late-summer.

Sidibe played 22 minutes in SU's loss to the Tar Heels. At times, he moved gingerly on that knee, wincing when a movement yielded particular pain. Despite the discomfort, Sidibe grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 4 points on 2-of-3 shooting. Those rebounds came against the ACC's best rebounding team.

Foul trouble that limited Paschal Chukwu to 15 minutes Wednesday made Sidibe's presence essential.

"I wasn't feeling great, but at the same time, I see Paschal getting into foul trouble and I see I gotta stay ready to give my best effort for the team," Sidibe said.

The 6-foot-10 freshman center, who played his high school ball across the Hudson River in New Jersey at St. Benedict's Prep, has a knack for pursuing missed shots.

"Since I was in high school, my coach always told me the best way to stay on the court is by rebounding the ball," he said. "So every time, I try to go for offensive rebound, no matter who's in front of me."

Sidibe, too, would eventually foul out of Wednesdays' game. North Carolina's ability to get the ball into the middle of the Orange zone and make plays there caused all sorts of problems for SU's young front line.

He has spoken this season about the frustrations of his knee injury, about the limitations it has imposed on a year when he could have gained valuable playing experience and helped his team with his agility on the inside.

"I know I'm not healthy," he said, "but at the same time, you have to show your best effort if you get on the court."