Zeller feeling better after North Carolina's win over Virginia

By The Sports Xchange

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ??? His coach couldn???t cheer him up, but Tyler Zeller???s performance in North Carolina???s victory against Virginia certainly helped.

Zeller, who anguished because of his late-game role in a loss three days earlier, scored 25 points as the Tar Heels created a better feeling by defeating Virginia 70-52 on Saturday afternoon at the Smith Center.

Zeller said he went to class but otherwise stayed out of the public eye and didn???t watch television Thursday, a day after North Carolina squandered a double-digit lead in the final 2 1/2 minutes of a loss to Duke. That night, North Carolina coach Roy Williams called Zeller to try to perk him up.

Did it work?

???Not really,??? Zeller said. ???I was trying to escape from it and it kind of brought it back. ??? I stewed over it. I tried to deal with it the best way possible.???

Zeller, a senior center, was showered with adoration before and during the game against Virginia. He responded, eclipsing the 20-point mark with slightly less than 10 minutes to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference game.

???Everybody has been great,??? Zeller said of the fans. ???I know I let them down, but at the same time they helped me.???

Williams said Zeller took the outcome of the Duke game particularly hard.

???He didn???t (move past) it right away,??? Williams said. ???He???s a very sensitive kid.???

The Tar Heels (21-4, 8-2), who continue to hold a share of first place, were looking to recover from the stunning conclusion in the 85-84 home setback to rival Duke.

Zeller, despite committing two turnovers in opening 40 seconds against Virginia, scored 14 first-half points on his way to his best offensive output in an ACC game this season.

???After I got started, I think I played well,??? he said. ???I thought everybody played well.???

Virginia???s Mike Scott scored 18 points. The Cavaliers??? previous four losses came by a total of 10 points, but they were held to 20 points in the second half on 30.8-percent shooting (8-for-26) from the field.

???We got tired and it affected us with our execution,??? said Virginia coach Tony Bennett, whose team dealt with foul trouble among its interior players. ???We were scrambling and playing four guards.???

That might have contributed to North Carolina???s 52-32 rebounding advantage, with 23 of the boards at the offensive end. The Tar Heels??? 23 points off offensive rebounds were their most in ACC play this year.

???We really lost our way and we couldn???t get them off the glass,??? Bennett said. ???It was alarming how many second shots they got, or third shots, on a possession.???

Williams said, ???Rebounding was the biggest factor and it worked in our favor in a big way.???

Virginia (19-5, 6-4) twice held seven-point leads in the first half, with Scott and Jontel Evans both going on personal 8-0 runs. Scott scored 10 of Virginia???s first 16 points, but he picked up his second foul at the 9:10 mark and sat out the rest of the half.

Scott scored on a jumper on the first possession after halftime before he was saddled with his third foul less than three minutes into the second half.

North Carolina scored 15 first-half points on free throws, with seven consecutive points coming from the foul line at one point.

The Tar Heels also received a boost from freshman forward James Michael McAdoo, whose steal and dunk was part of a 7-0 burst to tie the game in what became a 35-32 halftime lead for North Carolina.

The Cavaliers went back ahead early in the second half behind a couple of Joe Harris 3-pointers. North Carolina increased its edge to 55-44 with 8:19 to play on Reggie Bullock???s breakaway bucket.

???I was probably thinking (about holding the lead),??? North Carolina guard Kendall Marshall said. ???I didn???t want the same thing to happen that happened Wednesday.???

The Tar Heels, who connected on one 3-point basket for the second game in a row, never gave Virginia a chance to produce last-minute dramatics similar to what Duke pulled off on this same court. The Cavaliers scored four points in the last 6:10.

???I loved our team???s attitude,??? Williams said. ???But I loved our team???s attitude Wednesday night.???

Evans finished with 12 points, but he was held scoreless for nearly the first 14 minutes of the second half. Virginia finished 3-for-16 on 3-pointers.

The Cavaliers, who are pursuing their first 20-win season since 2006-07, have won five road games this season. The Cavaliers haven???t won six road games in 17 years and they???ll have three more chances to reach that mark.

Virginia won only one of the previous eight meetings with North Carolina, and that came in its most-recent trip to Chapel Hill in 2010.

Virginia dropped to 4-5 this season when scoring less than 60 points.

Harrison Barnes added 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for North Carolina, which will play three of its next four games on the road. North Carolina and Virginia meet in a rematch in two weeks at Charlottesville, Va.

The Tar Heels played without freshman reserve guard P.J. Hairston, who was ruled out a day earlier because of an injured left foot. He had played in all 24 previous games this season, averaging 6.6 points per game.

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