UNC's Zeller might return Wednesday

Third-ranked North Carolina might be a little deeper for Wednesday’s game vs. N.C. State — and its postseason run.

Coach Roy Williams said during his Monday radio show that he met with freshman Tyler Zeller earlier in the day and "right now, I would not be surprised if Tyler did play Wednesday night against North Carolina State," according to insidecarolina.com.

Zeller, a 7-footer who scored a total of 20 points during the first two games of the season, had been sidelined since breaking his left wrist on Nov. 18 against Kentucky, and appeared ready to redshirt the season.

But senior Marcus Ginyard’s decision to take a medical redshirt because of a lingering foot injury, then the season-ending suspension to wing Will Graves, has limited UNC’s rotation to eight and severely weakened its firepower; the reserves are averaging only about a dozen points in ACC games.
And that apparently helped change Zeller’s mind.

The Indiana native was cleared to begin practicing with the Tar Heels again last week, but how much he will be able to contribute remains in question. He started both regular-season games, in place of the injured Tyler Hansbrough — before he was hurt. But Carolina's offense and defense have evolved since then, so he'll need to learn and adapt.

“He has had five or six practices. He hasn't played basketball in 12 weeks," Williams said during his Monday morning conference call. “Can he come back and be effective?”

And how quickly can he blend into the rotation? Without him, the Tar Heels (23-2, 9-2 ACC) have won nine straight games, and hold a two-game lead in the regular-season league race.