A stellar addition to UNC's rotation
Feb 18, 2009
Nothing gets a person amped up for a long weekend like an ACC rivalry game. Yes, for me Wednesday is my Friday and I will head over to Chapel Hill this evening to see if N.C. State has a third straight win in their fuel tank.
But North Carolina could, and in my opinion, will get a key player back tonight that will help the Heels combat the Wolfpack front line of Costner, McCauley, and Smith. I apologize for the rhyme in the headline, but getting a healthy Tyler Zeller back for the remainder of the season could be, you know.....stellar.
Alot was made about Marcus Ginyard when he had to decide to sit out or come back. Do I return for a few regular season games or save an entire year of eligibility? It's a difficult decision to make considering the memorable NCAA Tournament run this team could make. I wouldn't want to miss that. It tells me that Ginyard really was too hurt to come back and be effective.
If Zeller really is fully healed from the broken left wrist, I fully endorse his move to come back for tonight's game against N.C. State. He is seven feet tall, he should play many minutes, and the team needs the body right now.
"He's a big guy who can run," Williams said. "I don't care how many times the ball goes up he's still 6-11 and half and a guy that will help you rebound,and a guy who can shoot."
And for Zeller, is one year of eligibility even a concern for him? I wouldn't have expected him to be a four year college player being a seven footer with big potential. Roy Williams asked himself that question in his teleconference as if he believed Zeller to be gone before four years anyway. And if Zeller comes back this year, he saves a medical redshirt in case he has another serious injury in the future.
I think this would be a good move to come back to the team and partake in a great run to the national championship. Roy Williams has continually harped about the downside of giving up a whole season for only six games. Come on, you know this team is at least playing 11 more games this season. If not it's been an epic disaster.
Things to watch:
Forward Tracy Smith has come on strong for the Wolfpack in the last two games, recording consecutive double-doubles. I have been harping all season to get this guy a minimum of 20 minutes per game. Him being on the floor is paying off for N.C. State. But that first game against North Carolina might have been his worst of the season. He was 1-7 from the floor and looked timid the whole game.
Javi Gonzalez and Farnold Degand have split the point guard minutes almost down the middle in the last two games. If Sidney Lowe has to play Degand, Gonzalez, and Mays in this game, it's a bad thing and State will lose. Two is company, three is a crowd. If he has to rotate all three it means all three are playing terribly. Go find me an ACC game where all three point guards played ample minutes in a win. You can't. This team can win when one guy plays well, and only one other can be the sub.
