CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Roy Williams said the retirement of Tyler Hansbrough's No. 50 jersey would be "off the charts" if the 13-10 Tar Heels were playing better. But he knows the official ceremony, which will take place at halftime of Wednesday's game against Duke, will be "fantastic."

"One of these days, when I'm sitting back in my golf cart and waiting for my time to tee it up, I'm going to think about how special it was to coach Tyler Hansbrough,'' Williams said. "I'm going to think of how lucky I was to coach Tyler Hansbrough. I'm going to think of how effective he was for our team; because he set the standard. We had the national championship in 2005, so he didn't have to legitimize our program again or anything like that, but he set a standard for four years for everybody that stepped out on the court.

"And even some of his own teammates -- no, all of his teammates, at some time -- were in awe of what he did. And that's pretty neat."

The 5-feet-by-8-feet banner commemorating his jersey was already in the rafters for Tuesday's practice. It is only the eighth number to be retired.

Deon Thompson doesn't leave his apartment unless it's absolutely necessary anymore.

North Carolina's recent struggles (seven losses in the last nine games) have been so traumatic Thompson spoke Tuesday of isolating himself.

"I don't even go out of the house," Thompson told reporters Tuesday during North Carolina's news conference to preview Wednesday night's home game against Duke.

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina reserve forward Tyler Zeller, who has been out four weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot, has been released to do some shooting and straight ahead running this week, coach Roy Williams said.

 "And I think that's all that he'll do this week; and then if no pain comes, then I think they would release him to do more next week,'' Williams said.

Zeller, a reserve 7-footer, averaged 9.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 16 games.  The Tar Heels play No. 8 Duke on Wednesday.

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas admits that he’s baffled by the turn for the worse of North Carolina (13-10, 2-6 ACC) as the Tar Heels prepare to play host to No. 8-ranked Duke (19-4, 7-2) at 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Bilas said there’s nothing wrong with the schemes, defenses or technical aspects of the game Roy Williams is coaching. For whatever reason, Bilas said, the Tar Heels seem to be suffering from a crisis of confidence and a lack of fight.

It's widely known -- love it or hate it -- that North Carolina coach Roy Williams prefers to let his team play through a run, rather than call a timeout and settle his players down, because he thinks it helps them in the long run to play through adversity.

So its another sign of how much the current Tar Heels -- now 2-6 in the ACC -- have faltered, that Williams called early timeouts in losses at Virginia Tech and Maryland.

DURHAM - As Duke prepares to visit North Carolina on Wednesday, the Blue Devils' players obviously are aware of the Tar Heels' struggles.

Duke (19-4, 7-2 ACC) moved up to No. 8 in The Associated Press' rankings on Monday, and North Carolina is 13-10 overall, 2-6 in the ACC.

"My reaction is, 'What's going on?' " said Duke junior guard Nolan Smith. "Because when I look at them, I know some of their players. I know they are a very talented team. They have guys that are probably going to be lottery picks. It's very surprising to me. But they're a very talented team."

Even if there is no love lost between Duke and North Carolina
basketball fans, there's not much hate in the rivalry, either,
according to a survey released today by Public Policy Polling.

Thirty-five percent of North Carolinians said they'd root for UNC
Wednesday night, compared to 21 percent who said they'd root for Duke.
Nearly half, 44 percent, said they don't care who wins.

To say that North Carolina is struggling, coach Roy Williams said after
his team lost 92-71 at Maryland on Sunday, "is the understatement of my
entire life."

Here's another one: "[In] 21 years as a head coach, I've never been in
this spot, but I've got to find a way to help the kids get out of it,''
he said. "Two-and-6 is not comfortable. It's not good."

With 17 inches of snow surrounding the team bus at noon, North Carolina feared it wouldn't be able to make it to the Comcast Center to practice today in anticipation of Sunday's 2 p.m. showdown with Maryland. But just after 4 p.m., the bus was plowed out of the hotel parking lot.

"We got here in about 23 minutes,'' team spokesman Steve Kirschner said. "And we went real, real slow."

Starting small forward Will Graves, who sprained his right ankle Thursday, is practicing, Kirschner said. But his status for the game is questionable.

Update (4:05 p.m.):  with UNC choice

Myrtle Beach (S.C.) High quarterback Everett Golson, considered one of
the top quarterback prospects in the nation for the class of 2011,
committed to North Carolina on Friday at a press conference at his high
school.